Handling documents on your school site

No one loves having to download a document from a website in order to read it. Even the latest versions of Chrome and Firefox, which display PDFs within a browser, require a new window or tab in order to see a file. If you’re downloading a Word document, you have to leave your browser entirely.

To resolve this problem, use a service like Scribd or Box to embed and display important documents in one place on your site. First, upload your PDFs or Word documents to either service. Then, select the “embed” option to display the files on your site. If your document has multiple pages, visitors can scroll through them without having to leave the site. Embedded files are also printable by downloading and printing through the Scribd and Box document viewers. There’s an example of a Scribd. document display on my blog. Since Scribd and Box both use HTML5, they’re fully accessible on iPads.

Streamlining permissions forms

September means sending students home with a lot of paper forms that need parent signatures and then waiting—hoping?—for their return. You can bypass the black hole of student backpacks entirely by adding DropItToMe to your site. The service allows your site to receive files from visitors. Here’s how it works: after you’ve added a DropItToMe link to your Web page, visitors can click it to upload a file, which then goes to your Dropbox account. Dropbox gives you 2MB of free storage—more than adequate for collecting scanned documents from a classroom’s worth of parents. I used the DropItToMe and Dropbox combination to collect students’ work for a semester and never ran out of room. More free space, however, is available through Dropbox’s many promotions.

An alternative to adding DropItToMe to your site is to collect files directly in Dropbox through an email service. Send To Dropbox is a free tool that allows you to create a dedicated email address for your Dropbox account. This saves you the hassle of opening attachments within your personal email.

Save time with voice recognition messages

After you’ve been teaching all day, listening to voicemail messages can be a laborious task. Why not use voice-to-text tools so you can read the messages instead, getting to the main points faster? Google Voice or Speak Pipe widgets are handy to have on your website or blog. Both free services (available only in the U.S.) give site visitors the option of leaving a voicemail message, which is automatically transcribed to text. You can read them in your account’s inbox. If the text is unclear, the audio recording is also accessible.

Technical improvements aside, it’s also important to assess your site’s visual aesthetics, and adding some simple design elements can make a big difference. How effective is your choice of font style, size, and color? Your font style conveys a lot about your site, you, and your organization. For instance, Comic Sans in white on a dark green background evokes an association with chalkboards. Moreover, light fonts on dark backgrounds can strain the eye. And while Comic Sans or a chalkboard font might appeal to second graders, it could suggest a lack of seriousness to adults visiting your site. Save the fun fonts for short headings and articles that kids will read, and try using a standard Verdana or Georgia font for parent-oriented pages. Finally, is your home page cluttered looking? Consider putting only the most important information there and moving the rest to subpages.

Incorporating a few new elements into your Web presence this summer could pay dividends in the fall, with an improved site that looks cool and also saves you time.

First up are introductions to ocean-related topics, including currents, tides, food chains, and topography. In Down, Down, Down and Journey into the Deep, the authors organize their tours vertically, descending into ever-darker ocean zones, revealing giant tube worms and carnivorous sponges. With thousands of animals to study, most writers concentrate on a group such as whales or octopuses to show how species interact within a habitat. Books about prehistoric ocean life allow students to compare ancient animals with current ocean dwellers, while speculation about sea monsters can turn to fact as new discoveries are made.

Challenges facing scientists remain formidable. More humans have walked on the Moon than in the Marianas Trench, 35,000 feet below the surface. Although some people dive in search of sunken ships or treasure, many more study the ocean itself. The final illustration in Life in the Ocean, a biography of oceanographer Sylvia Earle, shows two people looking over the water. Below them, a panorama of animals and plants extends downward against deepening shades of blue. As elementary and middle school readers dive into this collection of ocean wonders, their awareness of and appreciation for the world under the sea are sure to grow.

The Big Picture

BANG, Molly & Penny Chisholm. Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas. illus. by Molly Bang. Scholastic. 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27322-0.
K-Gr 4–Sunlight’s role in ocean food chains extends from surface waters to pitch-black depths. The dramatic growth of phytoplankton cascading across a spread is one of many arresting illustrations, large enough for group sharing yet complex enough to study individually. Detailed notes cover topics such as photosynthesis, marine snow, and chemosynthesis.

COLE, Joanna. The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor. illus. by Bruce Degen. (Magic School Bus Series). Scholastic. 1992. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-59041-430-2; pap. $6.99. 978-0-59041-431-9.
Gr 1-4–A diligent lifeguard tries to rescue Ms. Frizzle’s class as she drives across the beach and continental shelf into deep waters. A whirlwind tour of the ocean floor and coral reefs ends with a surfboard ride to demonstrate wave action. Cartoon illustrations and fact-filled “class report” sidebars enliven another entertaining and informative field trip. Audio and DVD versions available from Scholastic.

GREEN, Dan. Oceans: Making Waves! illus. by Simon Basher. (Basher Science Series). Kingfisher. 2012. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7534-6821-0. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-7534-6822-7.
Gr 5-8–With its conversational tone and cartoon illustrations, this unconventional guide packs a lot of information into each double-page entry. Not only do animals introduce themselves, but ocean features such as tides, seaweed, and pollution also have their say. The wide-ranging topics and appealing format should jumpstart interest in the watery world.

JENKINS, Steve. Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea. illus. by author. Houghton Harcourt. 2009. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-618-96636-3.
Gr 2-6–Jenkins’s masterful collages reveal characteristics of animals at different ocean depths from the sunlit surface to the deepest trench. For example, contrasting images of twilight-zone animals as they would appear in light with their glowing outlines in dark water illustrate bioluminescence. Those interested in specific species will find more information after the main text.

JOHNSON, Rebecca L. Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures. Millbrook. 2010. PLB $31.93. ISBN 978-0-7613-4148-2.
Gr 5-8–From 2000 to 2010, hundreds of scientists worldwide participated in the Census of Marine Life. New species that they identified, such as zombie worms or yeti crabs, appear in amazing photographs that accompany quotations from scientists and descriptions of their research methods and findings at various ocean depths.

WALKER, Pam & Elaine Wood. The Open Ocean. (Life in the Sea Series). Facts On File. 2005. PLB $35. ISBN 978-0-8160-5705-4.
Gr 6-10–The authors supply extensive information about the open ocean, which covers more than half of Earth’s surface. Drawings and diagrams accompany clear explanations of topics such as animal anatomy, food chains, hydrothermal vents, and properties of seawater. Although a few color photos are included, the volume is aimed at researchers, not browsers.

WIESNER, David. Flotsam. illus. by author. Clarion. 2006. Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-618-19457-5; ebook $17. ISBN 978-0-547-75930-2.
PreS Up–Photos developed from a “Melville underwater camera” washed ashore astound the boy who discovers the device. Fantastic scenes of undersea life and images of children from years before encourage him to add his own photo to the series. Wiesner wordlessly stretches readers’ imaginations about the timeless ocean circling the globe.

Animals Past and Present

BRADLEY, Timothy J. Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest. illus. by author. Chronicle. 2007. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-8118-4878-7.
Gr 4-8–Sharks from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras have connections to current ocean dwellers. Diagrams show relative sizes of the ancient shark, great white shark, and human diver while dramatic illustrations often feature predators and prey. Bradley clearly explains what paleontologists can and can’t deduce from fossil remains.

BULION, Leslie. At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems. illus. by Leslie Evans. Peachtree. 2011. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-565-2.
Gr 5-8–Eighteen poems introduce unusual ocean animals such as the bone-eating osedax and eviscerating sea cucumbers. Linoleum-block illustrations plus fact-filled paragraphs accompany the poetic portraits. Explanations of the poetic forms, including limerick, cinquain, and triolet, encourage readers to follow Bulion’s lead in presenting scientific information in verse.

BUTTFIELD, Helen. The Secret Life of Fishes: From Angels to Zebras on the Coral Reef. illus. by author. reprint ed. Diane Publishing. 2004. (original ed. Abrams, 2000). Tr $17. ISBN 978-0-7567-8075-3.
Gr 5-8–More than 250 fishes glide across the pages of this elegant introduction to life on coral reefs. Meticulous watercolor illustrations accompany Buttfield’s pithy text, which often notes the importance of color and pattern for attracting mates, eluding enemies, or fooling prey. Share with students of art and design as well as ichthyologists.

CYRUS, Kurt. The Voyage of Turtle Rex. illus. by author. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-42924-3; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-77283-7.
K-Gr 2–A tiny turtle scuttles past T. rex to reach the ocean’s sheltering seaweed, where she grows into a two-ton Archelon. Swimming with Plesiosaurs and escaping a massive Mosasaur, she eventually returns to the same beach to lay eggs for another generation. Easy-flowing narrative verse plus large illustrations encourage read-aloud visits to ancient seas.

DAVIES, Nicola. Surprising Sharks. illus. by James Croft. (Read & Wonder Series). Candlewick. 2003. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2742-3.
K-Gr 3–Large diagrams and bright illustrations note the essentials of shark anatomy and how different senses help sharks find food. The fierce great white may not surprise readers, but the variety of sizes, shapes, and colors of other sharks will. Most surprising? Sharks kill about six people yearly, but humans kill millions of sharks.

ELLIOTT, David. In the Sea. illus. by Holly Meade. Candlewick. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4498-7.
K-Gr 3–Short, bouncy poems introduce ocean animals to young listeners. Evocative imagery of an octopus as an “eight-armed apparition” or a dolphin as an “acrobat with fins” plus energetic woodcut illustrations of creatures that swim, swirl, and dive across oversize pages add up to a good choice for storytimes as well as individual viewing.

GISH, Melissa. Whales. (Living Wild Series). Creative Education. 2012. PLB $35.65. ISBN 978-1-60818-084-4; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-89812-676-1.
Gr 5-8–Gish packs an impressive amount of information into this well-designed volume. Effectively covering diverse science topics such as whale communication methods, life cycles, and migration patterns, she also considers whales in myth and literature and includes a Japanese fable and D. H. Lawrence poem. Large photos, maps, and illustrations will engage browsers as well.

GUIBERSON, Brenda Z. Into the Sea. illus. by Alix Berenzy. Holt. 1996. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-2263-6; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-6481-0.
Gr 2-5–From when a hatchling makes her way across the beach until she returns to lay her eggs years later, a sea turtle lives in the ocean. Pencil and gouache illustrations depict her underwater life amid sea grass refuges and fishing net dangers. Compare this contemporary reptile with Cyrus’s prehistoric Archelon.

HALFMANN, Janet. Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish. illus. by Joan Paley. Holt. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9073-4.
K-Gr 3–Sea stars may look harmless, but hundreds of sticky tube feet under their rays, plus a stomach that extends from their mouth, make them effective predators. Collage illustrations follow a sea star’s hunt for mussels and its escape from a seagull. More information, including the animal’s ability to grow replacement rays, appears after the story.

MARKLE, Sandra. Octopuses. (Animal Prey Series). Lerner. 2007. PLB $25.26. ISBN 978-0-8225-6063-0; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-0-8225-6066-1.
Gr 3-6–Octopuses must elude predators while seeking their own prey. Color photos reveal techniques such as blasting ink to distract pursuers or changing shape or color to blend in with the seafloor or reef. Views of octopuses from around the world will intrigue browsers and beginning researchers, who can follow the creatures’ life cycle.

NEWQUIST, HP. Here There Be Monsters: The Legendary Kraken and the Giant Squid. Houghton Harcourt. 2010. Tr $18. ISBN 978-0-547-07678-2.
Gr 5-8–Sailors’ tales of sea monsters fueled speculation about kraken long before giant squid carcasses washed ashore in the 19th century. Illustrations range from 16th-century maps to 20th-century movie posters, accompanying summaries of legends and excerpts from poems and stories. Photos by modern scientists elucidate current research about the elusive animal.

PFEFFER, Wendy. Life in a Coral Reef. illus. by Steve Jenkins. HarperCollins. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-029553-0; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-445222-9.
K-Gr 3–Coral reefs bustle with activity day and night. Paper cutout illustrations capture the vibrant hues of reef animals from tiny coral polyps to a lime-green moray eel gliding past a mucus-enclosed parrot fish. Fact pages identify coral reef locations worldwide and threats to their existence.

SIMON, Seymour. Coral Reefs. HarperCollins, 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-191495-9; pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-0-06-191496-6.
Gr 2-5–Vibrant close-up photos accompany Simon’s informative text. He explains how coral polyps slowly develop into colonies that form different reef structures. Careful page design matches relevant photos with introductions to various hard and soft corals and unusual reef animals. Throughout, the author stresses the importance of reefs and notes threats to their survival.

TURNER, Pamela S. Project Seahorse. photos by Scott Tuason. (Scientists in the Field Series). Houghton Harcourt. 2010. RTE $18. ISBN 978-0-547-20713-1.
Gr 4-8–Coral reef destruction from blast fishing, pollution, and dredging threatens many fish, including seahorses. Amazing close-up photos complement explanations of their unusual biology, including that males give birth. Attempts by Filipino scientists and villagers to establish a marine protected area demonstrate the need for cooperative conservation efforts at local, national, and international levels.

Human Explorations

BECKER, Helaine. The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea. illus. by Willow Dawson. Kids Can. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-746-4; pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-747-1.
Gr 3-6–Even students far from coastlines can participate in hands-on activities to learn about the ocean. More than 30 simple experiments employ everyday materials to investigate topics such as currents, salinity, pollution, and camouflage. Sidebars with diagrams and photos cover current issues including environmental threats and ways to help.

BERNE, Jennifer. Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau. illus. by Éric Puybaret. Chronicle. 2008. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8118-6063-5.
Gr 1-4–Cousteau’s childhood fascination with machines, movies, and the sea provided the foundation for his inventions and explorations that drew worldwide attention to ocean life. Blue-green backgrounds painted in acrylic on linen reinforce the watery theme, especially in the fold-out panorama of Cousteau diving ever deeper. Compare this biographical introduction with Dan Yaccarino’s The Fantastical Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau.

EARLE, Sylvia A. Dive! My Adventures in the Deep Frontier. National Geographic. 1999. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-0-7922-7144-4.
Gr 3-7–A marine biologist, Earle shares her lifelong passion for ocean exploration and conservation. From childhood observations of creatures on shore to journeys thousands of feet below the surface in a submersible she helped design, Earle has retained her fascination with marine life. Numerous photos document various forays under the sea.

FALLS, Kat. Dark Life. Scholastic. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17814-3; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17815-0.
Gr 5-9–In this futuristic novel, rising waters force humans into stack cities while pioneers farm the ocean floor. Western adventure motifs combine with subsea adaptations, such as Liquigen for breathing, as Undersea Ty and Topsider Gemma face fast-paced treachery and danger while searching for the girl’s brother. Challenge readers to invent additional underwater survival strategies.

GIBBONS, Gail. Sunken Treasure. illus. by author. reprint ed. HarperCollins. 1990. (original ed. Crowell, 1988). pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-446097-2.
Gr 1-4–Gibbons’s exciting account of the sinking of a Spanish galleon near Florida in 1622 and the 20-year search to locate the ship more than 300 years later demonstrates that divers search for treasure as well as marine life. Detailed illustrations accompany explanations of the work involved in discovery, salvage, and restoration.

MALLORY, Kenneth. Adventure Beneath the Sea: Living in an Underwater Science Station. photos by Brian Skerry. Boyds Mills. 2010. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-607-9.
Gr 4-8–Readers follow Mallory and Skerry through aquanaut training and their stay on Aquarius, an underwater research station. A map of Aquarius plus numerous photos give potential oceanographers insights into coral reef research as well as station life from meals to Internet connection. Mallory concludes with warnings about threats to coral reefs.

MATSEN, Brad. The Incredible Record-Setting Deep-Sea Dive of the Bathysphere. Enslow. 2003. PLB $23.93. ISBN 978-0-7660-2188-4.
Gr 4-7–The 1934 dive of William Beebe and Otis Barton continues to inspire oceanographers. Diagrams of the bathysphere and period photos set the scene. Matsen effectively builds the suspense and excitement of their descent. Even though readers know the outcome, the danger surrounding the small ship in a vast ocean is palpable.

NIVOLA, Claire A. Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. illus. by author. Farrar. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-374-38068-7.
K-Gr 3–Nivola weaves quotations from Earle into her brief biography, but richly colored illustrations draw viewers on their own. Earle swims past reef fishes, walks through bamboo coral, and plunges into a galaxy of bioluminescent creatures. The final spread incorporates earlier illustrations in a panorama of a teeming world worth exploring and preserving. Audio version available from Recorded Books.

WALKER, Sally M. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley.Carolrhoda. 2005. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-57505-830-6.
Gr 6-10–History and science combine in a fascinating account of the submarine developed to break the Union blockade of Charleston. Documents, maps, and diagrams illustrate the Civil War section while photos enhance explanations of the 1990s work of divers, engineers, and geologists to locate and raise the H.L. Hunley in order to learn why she sank.

YACCARINO, Dan. The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. illus. by author. Knopf. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-85573-3; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84470-6; ebook $7.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98755-7.
Gr 1-4–Bold colors and abstract patterns emphasize Cousteau’s energetic quest to invent ways to explore the ocean, document what he saw, and share his discoveries with others. Brief quotations from Cousteau complement Yaccarino’s simple text. Words are secondary to the layered illustrations, which reveal the vitality of ocean life.

Kathy Piehl is Professor Emerita at Memorial Library, Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Within the CCSS framework, everyone is in the vocabulary business. That’s right—everyone, according to Adams, research professor of cognitive and linguistic sciences at Brown University. Adams’s body of research contributed significantly to the six English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core shifts in instruction: the addition of more nonfiction texts, the focus on building knowledge, the escalation of text complexity at every grade level, the increased importance of citing textual evidence, the emphasis on literacy across disciplines, and the attention to academic terminology.

If you read and study Adams’s work, you will note that she distills achievement to its basic elements: the more you read, the greater your vocabulary. The greater your vocabulary, the better you read. The better you read, the more you comprehend. The more you comprehend, the broader your knowledge base, and the broader your knowledge base, the more you can achieve. Therefore, on a rudimentary level, achievement is dependent on vocabulary.

Adams provides plenty of other insights on language, such as the fact that our everyday spoken language is, typically, grammatically incorrect, void of adjectives and prepositions, and includes a mere 10,000 words. In our students’ work, we underscore correct punctuation and grammar, complex sentence structure, and a vigorous vocabulary. This exposes a fundamental dichotomy that we can address by modeling. We need to elevate classroom discussions and articulate and mirror our expectations of our students. Conversely, we need to require a higher level of reading.

The link between poverty and vocabulary deficit has long been acknowledged and accentuates the disparity between verbal and written skills. Librarians actively support programs (Reading Is Fundamental, etc.) designed in part to battle this shortfall. We can further embrace the Common Core vocabulary shift by reenergizing our efforts to select read-alouds with robust language, helping students find engaging (and challenging) nonfiction books that match their interests, carefully choosing titles for reading lists, and initiating independent reading incentives. We can encourage students to “research like a detective and write like a reporter,” as David Coleman, a CCSS ELA author, suggests.

Locally, we have recommended an approach whereby we purposefully integrate academic vocabulary into classroom instruction whenever possible. When students hear unfamiliar terminology, they simply hold up a hand making a “V” sign with their fingers, so teachers will know to flood the conversation with synonyms. It’s a visual assessment technique that enhances instruction without interrupting it. The unknown word becomes part of the student’s receptive vocabulary, and closer to his or her productive vocabulary, leading to comprehension and achievement.

The CCSS also embrace the premise that every subject area has content-specific terms that can be used to assess student understanding, referred to as “tier-three vocabulary.” Content knowledge and understanding is often demonstrated or measured with the correct usage of tier-three terminology. Research has its own content-specific vocabulary such as “credibility,” “bias,” “annotate,” “cite,” and “synthesize.” Terms encountered in the library are the expressions of the Information Age and should not be overlooked.

Librarians can model vocabulary-rich lessons. Start a “word of the day” program. Include games such as Scrabble and Upwords in your lending library. Model a dynamic vocabulary. Simply by holding words in high regard and spotlighting lyrics and language, librarians will begin to embrace the CCSS shift. Even with explicit vocabulary instruction and implicit vocabulary acquisition, most students’ vocabularies fall far below the one million words they encounter in print. It is a mighty high hill for them to climb, but we can be their guides.

Paige Jaeger (pjaeger@WSWHEBOCES.org) is coordinator for school library services, Washington Saratoga Warren Hamilton Essex BOCES, Saratoga Springs, NY.

A young patron sits down to a recording session at the “creation station” of the Darien (CT) Library.
Photograph by Dru Nadler.

Andrew Carle, a technology educator at Flint High School in Northern Virginia, scurries about the classroom, rearranging desks and chairs, strategically sprinkling around wires, batteries, transistors, and clocks—all the while a video camera whirs in the background. A few seconds later, 10 seventh graders saunter in and the room becomes a hive of activity. Students cluster in shifting groups of twos and threes, occasionally checking in with Carle, testing wires, referencing books and Macbooks. In that hour, compressed into 140 inspiring seconds on YouTube, the middle school students become consultants, designers, and builders. Or, as Carle and thousands of others like to call them, makers.

The maker movement, known to past generations as “DIY” (do-it-yourself), encourages collaboration, invention, and radical participation with a single goal: to create new things. This maker ethos is gaining a serious foothold in education, both in practice and at the policy level. In 2012, the movement’s flagship event, Maker Faire, drew a total of 165,000 people to meetups in New York and San Francisco. In March 2013, Tom Kalil, the White House deputy director for technology and innovation, hosted a Google+ Hangout with a guest list that included Dale Dougherty, the founder of Maker Media, inventor and MacArthur fellow Saul Griffith, and 11-year-old Sylvia T. (better known to fans of her popular online maker show as “Super Awesome Sylvia”).

STEMming from a great idea. The White House’s embrace of the maker movement is hard-wired into President Barack Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” campaign to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. “I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering,” Obama said at the campaign’s launch in 2009. “Whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent—to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.”

As the maker movement evolves, so, too, does the demand for a new kind of participatory public arena, commonly known as a maker space. Here, budding makers mingle, share knowledge and resources, and collaborate on projects. Some leading maker machers—among them Cory Doctorow, science fiction author and co-editor of the blog Boing Boing—see librarians and makers as natural allies and think of libraries as a natural setting for creating a maker space.

Libraries should be “information dojos,” Doctorow says, “where communities come together to teach each other black-belt information literacy; where initiates work alongside novitiates to show them how to master the tools of the networked age from the bare metal up.” Now, librarians and their supporters in the nonprofit, academic, and policy worlds have taken up the gauntlet. Together, they’re designing best practices, securing funding, conducting research, and recruiting schools and teachers, cobbling together the gears and circuitry of a culture that they say has the potential to forever change the way children learn.

Getting schooled. During the White House Hangout, Dougherty discussed a recent Maker Media initiative called “Maker Education,” which aims to empower young people to become master tinkerers. Addressing the issue of scale, he asked: “What are the kinds of models we can build that other youth-serving organizations can follow to work with kids?”

A key focus of Maker Education is integrating maker spaces into existing educational programs nationwide, says AnnMarie Thomas, the founding executive director of Maker Education. To head the initiative, Thomas took a one-year sabbatical from her job as an engineering professor at the University of St. Thomas, where she had noticed that “more and more kids were coming into engineering with very little hands-on experience.” Maker Corps, a Maker Education program, aims to connect maker groups to one another and build a community that’s based on the core competencies of the maker movement.

Making, says AnnMarie Thomas, resonates with children in extraordinary ways: “Look at any of the literature on hands-on work, look at what’s happened at museums around the country. You really see a sense of interest and engagement among kids, see them taking ownership of their work.” As examples, she points to the children at Mt. Elliott Makerspace in Detroit, who demonstrate soldering lessons at the local farmer’s market, and an 11-year-old maker in Los Angeles who teaches community classes.

DIY gets F2F. Parker Thomas, Maker Media’s current director of educational initiatives, notes that, while the Internet creates opportunities to collaborate long-distance, cyberspace is no substitute for “meatspace.” Maker activity can create a force multiplier effect when it fosters cross-pollination between schools. To that end, during the last academic year, Thomas helped coordinate efforts among 15 public and private schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. “Some of our schools decided to partner so they could apply for grants together,” he says.

Launching the programs at some of these schools required a healthy dose of imagination and perseverance. “It’s easy to start a maker space if you’re a motorcycle fabricator in your spare time,” he says. “Less easy if you’re a Spanish teacher and have never made anything in your life.”

Some of the teachers were armed with “nothing but enthusiasm,” he says. To get these educators more maker savvy, sponsors and advocates offered resources, including personal development workshops and online info sessions, and created a playbook that advised on everything from safety standards to how to pitch maker spaces to school administrators.

Parker Thomas worked directly with interested teachers. “We helped enable them,” he says. “The administration then starts to see the results, and it’s easier to get into the rest of the schools.” But he acknowledges that “if we need to scale, we need to do this at the district level,” noting that the Santa Rosa High School District is a recent collaborator.

The reaction from children has been deeply gratifying, he adds. At Independence High School in San Francisco—which Thomas describes as “kind of like your last speed bump before you drop out”—students have to be in school only 45 minutes per week. When students worked maker projects, however, they stayed voluntarily, sometimes several hours a day. Says Parker, “We seem to spark a sense of curiosity, of wonder.”

At the June Jordan School for Equity, also in San Francisco, Thomas attended a mini maker fair at the end of the first semester of the maker class. “I saw a bulletin board with iPad speakers acting like an amp and a box with a lid that had LEDs on top,” he says. “A kid didn’t have a desk at home, so he built one.” And the progress was evident. “You could see that they learned to iterate. The joints got better on each leg.”

The level of craftsmanship and personal initiative seen at these schools seems limitless. Thomas cites the Oakland-based Lighthouse Community Charter School, which has had a maker program for the past five years: “Three 18-year-old seniors wanted to build an electric car. They found a Ford Ranger and pulled the motor out. They’re trying to find batteries for it and they ran a Kickstarter campaign to do it.” That kind of project, he says, rewards students with a host of skills, including engineering, storytelling, and managing an online fundraising campaign.

Most importantly, he says, making empowers children with a mindset. “You’re not held hostage to what you can find. If you can dream it, you can make it, and you can shape the world around you.”

Media as making. Gwyneth Jones, known to Internet fans as “The Daring Librarian,” vividly recalls a recent trip to Nashville, where the city’s public library administrators spoke about their under-construction, hands-on learning space: “It’s the size of an airport lounge,” Jones says, “with a 3-D printer, woodworking, and sinks with experiments. And it’s just for teens—grown-ups are there on sufferance.”

Four walls do not a maker space make… Here are some of the fundamental tools commonly found in successful maker spaces. Though making is by its nature improvisational, a common toolkit can help to make it easier for newbies to learn the necessary skills and also help institutions and policymakers plan.

1. Arduino

An open-source electronic prototyping platform. Arduino programming language and modules (“boards”), which can be hand-built or purchased pre-wired, allow makers to create interactive electronic objects. Arduino devices can sense their environment by receiving input from multiple sensors and can control lights, motors, and other actuators.

2. Hot glue gun

A handheld tool for fastening items. Check out this basic tutorial on usage and safety instructions.

3. Jump wires

Wires used to transfer electrical signals from one part of a circuit board to a central microcontroller

4. Play-Doh

A modeling compound commonly used by young children for art and craft projects

5. 3-D printers

A printer that makes a three-dimensional solid object of virtually any shape from a digital model.

6. Laser cutter

Allows for very precise cuts without warping or destroying nearby material, enabling users to create elaborate designs for products. Click here to see a list of great projects.

Jones says she has always implemented maker tenets into her work at her Murray Hill Middle School library in Laurel, MD. “We’ve been doing animation and moviemaking from the get-go,” she says. Her students use programs such as GoAnimate to create openings for the school’s TV studio and Comic Life to build their own graphic novels—and then reach wider audiences by licensing their work through Creative Commons or selling their publications. Using such technology in a school setting, she says, also helps bridge the digital divide, much as the YOUmedia initiative has done in public libraries.

Such activities can expand a child’s idea of what a product is, she says. “They can create something that shows what they learned. My kids are visual learners. If they can make something with their hands, they’re going to write a PSA and maybe create an animation to go with it. They get to choose how to show what they learned and how much they learned, and didn’t necessarily need to write a 10-page essay.”

When Kiera Parrott first established a “creation station” at Darien Library in Connecticut, the tools at students’ disposal were Mac computers, Flip cameras, and voice recorders. Integrated devices such as the iPad freed students to follow their imaginations. They now use iPads to create stop-motion animation with LEGO figures, video book reviews, and whatever else captures their fancy. Parrott contrasts these activities with the regular school curriculum. “Even if it’s a wonderful school with fabulous teachers, there’s still a hierarchy, it’s still prescriptive.” In a maker space, she says, “it’s all about them and their experience.”

Making a maker space. “Today’s tinkerers work in vast, distributed communities where information sharing is the norm, where the ethics and practices of the free/open source software movement have gone physical,” Doctorow says. To cater to kids’ needs, librarians and school administrators will be forced to challenge traditional constructs of physical space, teamwork, and information architecture.

Flint High School’s Andrew Carle calls for a space that evokes wonder, something that can attract students’ attention, “slow down traffic in the hallway and pull them through the door….Every pinball machine, every arcade cabinet, was designed to capture [the] fleeting fascination of passing teenagers,” Carle says. “3-D printers can do the same work.” A well-designed maker space, he notes, will leave a trail of breadcrumbs throughout the school and reinforce the maker mindset of “discovering ways that you can tweak, hack, or create new things that exist in and interact with the wider world.”

Yet Carle also stresses the importance of a supportive space, one that titillates but never intimidates newcomers, with ample signage and instructions, and where “no one (has to) go in alone.”

“If you’re a kid you can’t do anything wrong,” says Parrott. “There’s no such thing at this point. We’re not telling you what you need to make. We’re going to give you the tools, physical and digital, and then let you go. We’ll provide some guidance to shape those skills, but it’s really about the exploration and discovery.”

A short list of these tools includes “Arduino [programming language and circuits], papier-mâché, LEGOs, cardboard, robots, rockets, welding machines, gears, circuit boards, computer-assisted drawing software, string, vinyl cutters, LED lights, the command line, string, rubber bands, wire, duct tape, Play-Doh, steamworks, sensors, hot glue guns, scissors, Raspberry Pis, gyroscopes, Tesla coils, musical instruments, fire, water cannons, plastic, wood, motors, solar power, wearable computers, and 3D printers,” according to education writer Audrey Watters. Due to constraints of both money and room, school libraries looking to establish maker spaces will have to prioritize what to purchase, especially if the spaces are being funded at the district or state levels.

Armed with a little planning and a basic toolkit consisting of laser cutters, a set of hand tools, and a single computer, Saul Griffith, who has received a DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) grant to aid him in his efforts, is confident that the maker movement could become a permanent fixture of school education. “It’s very reasonable to imagine that we could outfit every high school and every middle school. I actually think we should be targeting down to every elementary school in the country with a reasonably capable set of tools so all children in the country become part of this manufacturing and design revolution,” he says.

The big picture. “One of the impacts of building your own computing devices is that it forces you to confront the architecture and systems that underlie your own information consumption,” Doctorow says.

Opening the wonders of maker culture to vast new audiences can have a liberating effect on education. Scholars, including the University of Indiana’s Kylie Peppler and the University of California’s Mimi Ito, have written several papers on topics such as learning about circuitry through e-textiles, introducing computation into arts education, and developing participatory competencies in media production.

In her 2009 book The Computer Clubhouse, Peppler and her co-authors reference MIT mathematician Seymour Papert’s concept of “objects-to-think-with.” The term, according to Papert, helps illustrate how both digital and physical objects such as robots, games, and programs can “become objects in the mind that help to construct, examine, and revise connections between old and new knowledge.” Indeed, objects in a maker space can assume this role, according to the authors, “allowing members to engage with technology, problem-solving, and artistic expression in profound ways.”

Scholars are being careful, however, to not define the movement’s constraints too tightly, in order to preserve the improvisational feel that makes maker spaces so appealing. The goal, in a sense, is a rough map rather than a GPS device. Structure and setting still matter. “We would never want maker spaces to look like schools,” Peppler says. “But you do need to get a sense of how they work.”

With great power (tools) comes great responsibility. When power saws and drill presses replace traditional learning materials, the library inevitably becomes a riskier environment, something acknowledged by leading proponents of maker spaces. “There could be liability issues” stemming from use of tools and machinery, says Susan Hildreth, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “But those could be addressed.” Hardware is a potential issue, but the bigger practical concern is the space itself. “If you’re going to have a space that could be noisy and could create smoke, you need to consider where the space is placed, and how it is vented.”

Indeed, some have pushed for a more rigorous approach to safety standards in maker spaces. At a February workshop in Somerville, MA, titled “How to Make a Makerspace,” Dougherty pushed makers to design best practices for building and operating spaces. William Gurstelle, noted science writer and the author of Backyard Ballistics and The Practical Pyromaniac, has written a safety guide that addresses the usage of tools such as sewing machines, table saws, and heat guns.

Money makers. Hildreth, whom President Barack Obama tapped in 2011 to be director of IMLS, says her curiosity about maker spaces was piqued by her insight that simple content mastery would no longer cut it. “Information and knowledge changes so quickly nowadays,” she says. Now IMLS’s emphasis is on supporting libraries to help students attain what she dubs “21st-century skills, skills such as being creative, collaborative, analytical, and learning how to parse and organize information.”

A maker space, she says, serves as an active breeding ground for such skills, a place where swarms of inquisitive young people can come together and absorb new learning paradigms. The library world’s shift from analogue to digital materials is helping to free up space that could be reconfigured to become a maker space, she adds. “If you think of the library as the learning center, you need to adapt to the demands of your community,” she says.

The movement is yet in its infancy, Hildreth believes, but it’s shown enough promise to warrant some IMLS funding, such as a $444,296 research grant to study the effects of maker spaces given to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

The museum also received a further $150,000 grant to help it establish an in-house maker space with the cooperation of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Other IMLS grants funding maker activity include $250,000 to the Chicago Public Library to create a new maker space; $100,000 to the New York Hall of Science (NYHS) for a “Digital Making program” within the NYHS’s maker space; an additional grant to NYHS to engage racially diverse communities in making; and a $99,443 grant to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR, to develop a community maker space. More maker funding will likely be a priority for 2014, Hildreth adds.

Funding is also flowing into the movement from elsewhere, according to Marsha Semmel, the IMLS’ director of strategic partnerships. She noted in particular the Cognizant Foundation—which has given major grants to the Detroit Public Library and NYHS—and DARPA, which aims to establish making practices in 1,000 schools by 2016. The MacArthur Foundation also supports the Maker Education intitiative, partnering with IMLS to launch well-funded museum and library spaces, modeled after the YOUmedia program at the Chicago Public Library, that offer state-of-the-art digital media tools.

The money, Semmel says, would help to bridge the void left by the disappearance of traditional maker activities—home economics, shop, chemistry labs—from the traditional school curriculum. “My grandfather was a house painter and my grandma was a milliner, so I sewed and made mosaics,” she says. “Those things have been pushed out of people’s lives. But the urge to create and design is universal, and it remains.”

The experiences of a free New Yorker are told in Judith and Dennis Fradin’s Stolen into Slavery: The True Story of Solomon Northrup, Free Black Man (National Geographic, 2012). In 1841, Northrup, a resident of Saratoga Springs, New York, and a fine fiddler, was lured by a couple of con men to New York City with the promise of performing with a circus. Once he arrived, Northrup was drugged and sold into slavery and his name was changed by his Louisiana owners. All evidence that he was free vanished. He was methodically beaten and threatened to never tell anyone his story or reveal that he was literate.

His nightmare lasted 12 years. Northrup eventually found someone he trusted enough to take a letter back to Saratoga Springs. After several months, two white men who knew him went to Louisiana and brought him back home. Show your booktalk listeners the photograph of Northrup’s descendants celebrating his life. They’ll feel like celebrating, too!

In Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad (Holiday House, 2013), David A. Adler isn’t content with simply focusing on the most famous escape artist of all. He introduces those who joined Tubman in one of the 13 death-defying exoduses she led from the slave states. Among the escapees was Peter Still, who crossed the Ohio River, asked locals for help, and was directed to an abolitionist society. The man to whom Still told his story realized that they were brothers—and took him to see their mother, whom he hadn’t seen in decades.

Adler outlines the horrors of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, which made it possible for Americans born free to be sold into slavery. These individuals were not allowed to testify on their own behalf in a court of law. The judges who made these decisions were paid $10 to declare the person a slave and $5 to declare someone free. Ask your booktalk audience how they think a judge would rule. In 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that no African American descended from a slave could ever become a citizen and that Congress could not exclude slavery from any of its territories. This decision turned many disinterested people into abolitionists.

The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery (Walker, 2013), also by Judith and Dennis Fradin, introduces John Price, a slave who fled to Oberlin, Ohio, in 1856. The citizens of Oberlin believed that there was a higher law than the Fugitive Slave Act—the law of right and wrong. When Price was recaptured by a slave hunter, word spread quickly. Townsfolk, farmers, former slaves, and businessmen gathered to demand his release. He was freed and they put him on a train bound for Canada, where slavery was illegal. His rescuers then waited calmly for the laws at home to catch up with them. The town subsequently passed a new law: “No fugitive slave shall ever be taken from Oberlin either with or without a warrant, if we have the power to prevent it.” The two-page photograph of Price’s rescuers (some in danger of being returned to slavery) in the courtyard of the Cuyahoga County Jail will have a powerful effect on readers, and Eric Velasquez’s stunning, full-color illustrations will be remembered for a long time.

Civil rights and responsibilities are topics that young readers often hear adults debating. Offer these books to children in the fourth grade and above so they, too, can discuss these issues and develop a sense of pride in our country’s history.

The Pivot: Digital Learning Resources

At a recent CoSN (Consortium for School Networking) Conference, I participated in several discussions with content and educational service providers, not to mention district leaders. To my surprise, they don’t think much of textbooks either. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has all but declared war on textbooks, advocating a rapid shift to digital resources to better support student learning. The demise of print textbooks may well be more sudden and ignominious than the fall of disco in the late 1970s. Was that guy wearing a “Textbooks Suck” T-shirt?

As traditional publishers rush into the digital marketplace, Washington State has adopted a K–12 open educational resources (OER) initiative. Similar to programs around the nation, the goal is to provide free or low-cost learning resources to schools. While not strictly digital, OER is intended to support 21st-century models, including online learning and 1:1. In turn, Apple is actively promoting iBook authoring tools for teachers (and students) to create or remix OER content for custom textbooks. The digital shift is underway. There are many ways that teacher librarians can inform and assist districts making the transition.

The Points

Curation. Despite appearing on several year-end “Do Not Use Anymore” word lists, the term “curation” was used with impunity at the conference. From sales pitches to conversations with superintendents and technology directors, the need to locate, collect, and manage digital content was consistent and clear. Semantics aside, teacher librarians know curation. For decades, they have been curating both analog and digital content. As districts look to digital resources, teacher librarians can repackage their skills in collection development and learning-resource management to provide sorely needed leadership, particularly with curriculum departments. Few curriculum departments have the staffing or expertise to understand the challenges of digital content and OER or how to effectively implement a digital content strategy. While some companies offer digital content curation, many districts will opt to do the work themselves due to cost or the desire to retain control. Enter teacher librarians to the rescue.

Metadata. Curation is not just about finding and selecting content. Like library materials, digital resources require organization and classification so that users can locate them. Pivoting from Dewey and Sears, teacher librarians can learn some new concepts. Another key term is metadata, the tags and descriptors that, like subject headings, provide categorization of and subsequent access to digital learning resources. Metadata is everywhere. Because teacher librarians understand controlled vocabularies, subject headings, and the limitations of keyword searching, they can help districts create guidelines and systems that will guarantee a successful digital shift.

Learning objects. As ebooks have complicated the library universe, learning objects will vex classrooms and curriculum departments. Learning objects include a diverse array of instructional materials that can be used as schools begin to leverage digital content—handouts, slide stacks, lesson plans, interactive texts, audio and video files, animations, and games. The same order applied to library catalogs will necessarily have to be applied to learning objects both within and among districts and states. LORs, or learning object repositories, will house these curated collections and will be available to students and teachers not in a sticky textbook, but on an iPad or laptop. And who will likely collect, inventory, and circulate those devices?

Just ask Sisyphus.

Mark Ray (Mark.Ray@vansd.org) is the manager of instructional technology and library services at the Vancouver (WA) Public Schools.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide several ways to incorporate what students have learned from listening to classics during the summer as starting points for individual writing and classroom discussion:

[CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2] Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

[CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1c] Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

A natural extension for listening to these audiobooks is viewing their film adaptations, a compare and contrast study that can be found in several reading, speaking, and listening Standards. The experience offers abundant opportunities for student discussion and writing.

Literary and modern classics are included in many national and regional lists for the college bound, such as the comprehensive list from the Arrowhead Library System in Wisconsin (http://ow.ly/kwSPV). Check with your local public library for copies of classics in print, audio, or DVD formats to round out lesson plans.

All Quiet on the Western Front. Written by Erich Maria Remarque. Trans. by A. W. Wheen. Narrated by Frank Muller. 6 CDs. 7 hrs. Recorded Books. 1994. ISBN 978-0-7887-3441-0. $72.75. Gr 9 Up
This World War I narrative was originally published in 1929, while the senseless destruction of the Great War was still fresh in the minds of those who lived through its horrors. Hearing 19-year-old Paul Baumer describe his experiences as a German recruit, the depth of his deprivation in the trenches, the cruel loss of life, and the cumulative devastation on mind and body is heart wrenching. Muller’s understated performance, with its steady pacing and paradoxically soothing vocal timbre, enhances the lyrical language and elicits a palpable sense of the terror faced by Paul and his friends through the unrelenting close combat. In 1930, the movie adaptation won the Academy Award for best picture and best director and is now in the Library of Congress’s National Film Preservation Board’s Film Registry (http://ow.ly/kwRp2).

The Call of the Wild. Written by Jack London. Narrated by Jeff Daniels. 3 CDs. 3:15 hrs. Listening Library. 2010. ISBN 978-0-3077-1026-0. $30. Gr 8 Up
Originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post, June 20–July 18, 1903, this classic remains relevant over 100 years later. The universal themes of survival, kindness, cruelty, and natural instinct are strengthened by Daniels’s performance. His voicing provides just the right conversational and friendly tone with a touch of comfortable rasp, adding fresh energy to the timeless story. Buck, a four-year-old St. Bernard–and Scotch Shepherd cross breed, who weighs 140 pounds, has his life changed forever when he is kidnapped and taken to the cold bleakness of the Arctic to work with Klondike gold miners. A film adaptation of this story starring Clark Gable was released in 1935. Comparing and contrasting the audio production and the film will offer students many chances to write about or discuss the two versions.

Dracula. Written by Bram Stoker. Narrated by Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, and a full cast. Digital Download. 15:30 hrs. Audio Theater/Audible. 2012. $29.95. Gr 9 Up
The strength of this audiobook production of the 1897 classic is the performances by a full cast that includes the incomparable Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, and Katherine Kellgren, all seasoned and award-winning narrators. Voicing the various characters with individual accents and unique vocal stylings makes for a memorable listening experience. Tension builds immediately as listeners become privy to the journal of young solicitor Jonathan Harker, who travels from England to Dracula’s castle and, with a sense of grave foreboding, realizes that he is a prisoner of the undead Count. This chilling narrative opens Stoker’s tale of Victorian moral fears that sparked the vampire genre and furnishes an excellent example of how listening to a terrifying story, performed beautifully, raises text, plot, and characterization to a new level. Viewing the 1935 movie adaptation of Dracula (starring Bela Lugosi, also on the Library of Congress’s National Film Preservation Board Film Registry) will encourage discussion not only of classic literature, but also of classic filmmaking.

Fahrenheit 451. Written by Ray Bradbury. Narrated by Stephen Hoye. 5 CDs. 5:30 hrs. Tantor Media. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4001-4818-9. $24.99. Gr 9 Up
In this foremost example of dystopian fiction, Bradbury twists the heroic role of firefighters. In a futuristic society, firemen don’t put out fires, they start them. Specifically, they burn books and the subversive ideas contained within their pages. The trouble begins when one fireman, Guy Montag, begins to question the system and seeks to escape the control of the city. Hoye is a superb guide through this terrifying world, moving both action and reflection along with exactly the right pacing. First published in 1953, the story remains disturbingly contemporary and the ending, with its determination to keep books alive by memorizing them and speaking them aloud, is well suited to the audio medium. The 1996 film, directed by François Truffaut and starring Julie Christie and Oskar Werner, veers from the original story, making it particularly useful as a student exploration of the differences between Hoye’s interpretation of Bradbury’s words and Truffaut’s greater liberties with the text.

Hamlet. Written by William Shakespeare. Narrated by Simon Russell Beale, Imogen Stubbs, Jane Lapotaire, and a full cast. 3 CDs, 3:25 hrs. AudioGo. 2006. ISBN 978-0-7927-2985-3. $33.95. Gr 9 Up
Perhaps the best known of Shakespeare’s tragedies, this story of destiny and revenge pits a young prince against the murderous uncle who has stolen the throne and queen. Students often struggle when reading Shakespeare, and listening can serve as a bridge, facilitating understanding. This excellent full-cast production includes musical interludes and an insert with scene-by-scene summaries, making it not only a strong listening experience, but also the perfect adjunct to literary appreciation. Fans of the long-running British science-fiction series Doctor Who, and David Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor, will be mesmerized by the 2010 BBC television production featuring Tennant as Hamlet, with Patrick Stewart as the nefarious uncle, Claudius.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (and The Adventures of the Dancing Men). Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Narrated by Simon Prebble. 6 CDs. 6:30 hrs. Tantor Media. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4001-1515-0. $17.99. Gr 9 Up
Sherlock Holmes takes on the intriguing case of the heir to the Baskerville estate who seems destined to be the next victim of the mysterious, and deadly, hound thought to have killed several of his ancestors. Dodgy servants, an escaped prisoner, and a supposed brother-and-sister duo test the famous detective’s mettle. Prebble is more than up to the task of directing listeners through myriad characters, clues, and deceptions. Subtle voicing differentiates the large cast and expert pacing heightens the tension. Be sure to have students watch the first-rate British (Granada Television) production starring Jeremy Brett as Conan Doyle’s brilliant, but decidedly peculiar detective.

Things Fall Apart. Written by Chinua Achebe. Narrated by Peter Francis James. 6 CDs. 6:30 hrs. Recorded Books. 1997. ISBN 978-1-4025-4462-0. $72.75. Gr 9 Up
Published in 1958, Achebe’s seminal work heralds the revolution that preceded Nigerian independence in 1960. Designed to teach students about the rich Igbo heritage, it tells the heartbreaking tale of Okonkwo’s single-minded rise to success among his people and the surrounding villages, followed by a heinous act, banishment, and descent into total failure. James narrates this story of the European colonization of Africa, the encroachment of Christianity, and the disintegration of traditional cultures with appropriate gravitas and measured pacing, bringing out all of the nuances of the text. Students can listen to Achebe read a part of the story (http://ow.ly/kwRJe) and then watch a portion of a production that includes the same text (http://ow.ly/kwS2a) for comparison. Round out the unit with PBS journalist Jeffrey Brown’s interview with Achebe on the 50th anniversary of the publication of Things Fall Apart (http://ow.ly/kwSpg).

To Kill a Mockingbird. Written by Harper Lee. Narrated by Sissy Spacek. 11 CDs. 12 hrs. Harper Audio. 2006. ISBN 978-0-06-1808-12-8. $34.99. Gr 8 Up
Spacek, with her lilting Southern accent, perfectly captures the voice of Scout, the young girl whose life is thrown into turmoil when her father, the upright and highly ethical lawyer Atticus Finch, takes on the defense of a black man accused of raping a white woman. Their sleepy Alabama town may never be the same and Spacek’s exceptional pacing propels this Pulitzer Prize-winner—a staple of many high school reading lists—to its inexorable conclusion. The 1962 film, starring Gregory Peck (who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch), was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 1995.

Sharon Grover is Head of Youth Services at the Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI. Lizette (Liz) Hannegan was a school librarian and the district library supervisor for the Arlington (VA) Public Schools before her retirement. They are co-authors of Listening to Learn: Audiobooks Supporting Literacy (ALA Editions, 2011).

Increasingly, less really is more. That said, we need strategies for presenting meaningful choices to our clients. In a recent TED talk, Columbia University professor Sheena Iyengar shed light on how choice overload impacts our ability to make productive decisions. She also offered valuable tips on streamlining the information choices we present. Librarians can learn a lot from what she had to say.

Iyengar described an experiment she conducted involving different numbers of jam samples offered at a grocery store tasting. When there were 24 jams available for sampling, 20 percent more people stopped to sample than when only six jams were offered. But sampling is different from buying. Only three percent of people purchased a jam from the 24-jam sample test, while 30 percent bought a jar when presented with six choices.

Let’s pretend the jam jars are data that librarians are presenting to teachers. While teachers might be drawn in to a workshop that lets them sample from 24 databases, they are more likely to buy in to a database when offered just a few options.

Iyengar identified four ways to fight choice overload. These methods will help teachers make more effective use of your library.

1) Cut. Weeding your digital collection is as critical as weeding your physical books. Just because you can offer three or four controversial topic databases doesn’t mean you should. Evaluate the choices and pick one. Then spend time going deep into a single resource.

2) Concretize. We know that selecting a resource is more meaningful when we teach about it at the point of need. But this isn’t always realistic for librarians who are stretched thin. You can still make things concrete by creating short screen capture movies using free CamStudio software on Windows or the built in QuickTime Player in Mac OS.

3) Categorize. According to Iyengar, people felt they had more choices when presented with 400 options divided into 20 categories as opposed to 600 options spread across 10. Don’t make teachers or students guess what a resource is for. Separate them into specific subjects or use case groupings.

4) Start simple. Present users with smaller sets of options first and then work up to larger sets. In my training sessions, I start with a single broad reference resource and then show a few more choices for specific use scenarios (science resources, pro/con papers, etc). To focus on quality over quantity, consider adopting a single broad informational resource and then pick more selections targeted to specific projects, courses, or subjects.

Don’t overwhelm teachers by showing them everything. Remember, less really is more.

Illustration by John Corbitt.

This month, librarians across the country are building their lists of can’t-miss panels, lunches, unconferences (participant-driven meetings), and exhibits as they gear up for the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Chicago from June 27 to July 2.

Other librarians are questioning how much ALA annual really serves their professional development needs. In a time of contracting budgets, layoffs, and demands for tech expertise in the library, is ALA still the must-attend event for all? Or is the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference in San Antonio from June 23 to 26 a better choice?

For the ALA faithful, the panoply of offerings—not to mention the essential social component—makes ALA annual a necessity. “There’s definitely a lot of friends who connect at ALA,” says Gretchen Caserotti, director of the Meridian (ID) Library District, chair of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Children and Technology Committee, and a PLA (Public Library Association) and LITA (Library and Information Technology Association) member.

What else are ALA attendees looking forward to? For Caserotti, it’s the Newbery-Caldecott-Wilder Banquet along with tech programs like “Apps, Apps, and More Apps,” “Top Technology Trends & LITA Awards Presentation,” and the LITA President’s Program speech by Cory Doctorow.

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) executive director Beth Yoke expects to be holed up in meetings for much of the conference, but she’s eager to see the 25 featured winners of the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults awards, with programs ranging from one involving iPads and incarcerated youth to another called “Teen Fashion Apprentice.” What’s on Wendy Stephens’s ALA list? Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple, who’s delivering a keynote. The unconferences. And, “it’s a huge thrill to go to the Printz reception and the awards banquet,” says Stephens, a librarian at Cullman (AL) High School, ALA councilor-at-large, and the YALSA blog member manager.

Starr LaTronica, ALSC vice president and president-elect and youth services/outreach manager at the Four County Library System in Vestal, NY, will try not to miss “Think with Your Eyes!” a panel focusing on visual literacy. “In this heavily visual world, so much relies on being able to interpret visual cues,” says LaTronica, who praises the “serendipity” of the ALA conference experience, where the vast and varied offerings can lead to unexpected inspirations.

ISTE appeal

Serendipity, schmoozing, and star power aside, how critical is ALA to librarians’ needs? Not very, some librarians say. “Although I’ve gotten some great ideas at ALA, they’re still struggling to step up their game technology-wise,” says Gwyneth Jones, otherwise known as the “Daring Librarian” and a teacher librarian and technology specialist at the Murray Hill Middle School in Laurel, MD.

Particularly among tech-savvy school librarians like Jones, ISTE is now more of a draw. It’s not just that ISTE’s ed-tech focus provides more bang for their conference buck. School librarians—while often active in AASL activities within ALA—don’t always feel they’re taken seriously at ALA annual and prefer the vibe among ISTE’s mix of educators.

“I sometimes have problems with the way school librarians are treated at ALA,” says Jones. “When I went to ALA early on, I felt like people were thinking, ‘oh, you’re a school librarian, how cute!’”

By contrast, “when I went to ISTE, I felt embraced by everyone,” she says. “They didn’t care what kind of librarian I was.” Jones, now the PK–12 schools representative for ISTE and an ISTE board member, says it’s “a great way to represent my people.”

At ISTE, Jones found “inspiration to start my school library blog.” And, she points out, “there’s not just one blogger’s cafe but four” at ISTE, as well as an entire category of sessions on BYOD.

“I always make the choice to go to ISTE,” says Tiffany Whitehead, a teacher librarian at Central Middle School in Baton Rouge, LA, who blogs as the “Mighty Little Librarian.” “As a school librarian, I’m an educator first. The chance to network with other educators, classroom teachers, administrators, tech coordinators, and others is the most important thing I can do for myself.”

At ISTE, Whitehead will be hosting a tech playground where teachers and school librarians will informally present and share tips on tools and resources. Whitehead’s principal first suggested she attend ISTE, she says. “I would love to go to ALA for the atmosphere and the emphasis on books, but I feel that for my teachers and my students, ISTE is the best choice for me. I really am the technology person on campus.”

Whitehead is also president-elect of SIGMS, an ISTE special interest group (SIG) for media specialists. The many special interest groups within ISTE “play a large and meaningful role in what’s being put forward” during the conferences, according to ISTE CEO Brian Lewis. This year’s conference, for instance, offers more than a dozen sessions about educational video conferencing. The opening keynote speaker is gamification expert Jane McGonigal. “We’re trying to connect folks with what they say they want,” says Lewis.

Stephens, who is attending both conferences and presenting at ALA, points out that “there is a more eclectic crowd of people at ISTE” than at ALA. For instance, as a friend of hers said: “There are men there.”

Gender statistics aside, Stephens—whose school district has never paid for her to attend a library conference but did sponsor an ISTE trip—says, “more people at ISTE work in the educational enterprise. Maybe you feel a little more kinship with those people than a state librarian from another part of the country or an academic library director.”

However, she adds, ISTE inspirations can sometimes be frustrating. “You may go and see this wonderful app and find that it’s blocked” back at your school.

On the other hand, in Stephens’s view, ALA is sometimes out of touch with the daily challenges of school librarians. While useful to people “in rarified situations, there’s not much trickle-down to people who are in a more typical situation.” That would be librarians “trying to tread water and keep programs running on a basic level,” and those working on “nuts and bolts advocacy to keep your job.” However, Stephens believes, “You can bring back more tangibles from ALA—advanced reader’s copies; posters; pictures of you with the Caldecott and Newbery winners. That can be very good for morale.”

AASL and ISTE

AASL president Susan Ballard acknowledges that some school librarians “don’t feel the love” at ALA and points out that ALA has taken steps to remedy this. “ALA is getting better and better at recognizing that we don’t exist in silos and we’re all interconnected,” she says.

How? Ballard refers to an ALA special presidential task force devoted to the current state of school libraries, as well as a focus on the Common Core curriculum. “I know when I go to AASL it’s not just your father’s Oldsmobile,” she says. “It’s as edgy as anything out there.”

AASL still holds appeal for Jones. “If I had to choose one, it would be AASL over ALA,” she says. And Whitehead will be presenting at AASL’s national conference in November.

In Ballard’s view, if librarians think that ISTE is more valuable to librarians than ALA, “we have a perception problem. People hear the word ‘librarian’ and they have a dated concept.” She adds, “I had a colleague in another state who said to his school librarian, ‘I have to think of another name for you, because when I say “school librarian,” I’m not getting any [financial] support.’ He understood what she did, but he couldn’t call her a librarian.”

However, YALSA’s Yoke points to ALA’s focus on “dynamic collaborations between school and public libraries,” the Common Core, and sessions on maintaining teen collections and new media, as huge selling points.

“A lot of the time we get this anecdotal information from school library members that the Association is more public focused,” Yoke says. However, she notes, a survey among 13,000 current, former, and potential ALA members showed evidence to the contrary. “There’s a perception that school librarians have different wishes and needs, but the survey did not bear that out,” says Yoke.

According to Lewis, “The library media specialist’s role is changing in terms of its interconnectivity across the school system.” He adds, “folks in school districts are looking for help, no matter where they are in the process of technology. They’re looking for clarity and support in how to effectively do what it is they’re expected to do.”

Among upcoming ISTE sessions, Lewis singles out “The Empowered Executive Team,” led by Steve Clemons of the San Diego Office of Education. The gist here is that better understanding and communication about what institutions are spending their tech-slated money on will ensure buy-in, communication, and shared decision making.

Caserotti, a technophile who’s gotten involved with ALA committees, says that ALA’s “support structure has been really empowering to me.” Broadly speaking, though, she worries that librarians are not keeping up with technology, despite high-visibility techies like Jones and Whitehead. Technology in the library is “like a car,” she says. “Some people will lift up the hood and take the initiative to learn how the car works.” But most people “take the car to the shop.” At ALA, she wonders, “how many people are stuffing their bags with posters,” and how many are saying, “yeah, I’m comfortable with tablets in the library?”

“Part of the beauty in ISTE is the connectivity to others,” says Lewis, who became CEO of ISTE last summer. “ALA’s conference is great and ISTE is great,” he adds. “Everybody who puts on an event like this works so hard to make sure that through whatever measures, we’re delivering terrific content.”

“Brother Mike” Hawkins (at left) and YOUmedia’s Spoken Word team at the
“Louder Than a Bomb” poetry competition in Chicago, March 2013.
Photo courtesy of “Brother Mike” Hawkins.

Taylor Bayless, a librarian with the Chicago Public Library’s YOUmedia youth learning space, runs a podcasting program for teens. Since Bayless had no previous experience with podcasts, she was “muddling through” the learning process along with the kids, teaching herself as she was teaching them. “Someone working with youth has to have the capacity and desire to learn new technology,” says Bayless.

That was one message that came out of an hour-long chat on using social media in libraries, part of a month-long discussion series focusing on teens and the future of school and public libraries.

Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and Connected Learning, an online learning network, the five programs that ran in May were all about how to engage that most fickle of consumers: teens. During the online discussions, media specialists and librarians who work with young people in new media offered their insight and best practices on how to successfully engage teens and tweens.

Participants were encouraged to comment using the #futureoflibraries Twitter hashtag, watch through Connected Learning’s Google+ Page, and chat over Livestream, where the conversations were archived. Speakers included “Brother Mike” Hawkins, associate director and lead mentor at YOUmedia’s Digital Youth Network.

Getting involved with students early on—and supporting their creative efforts while providing guidance about privacy and fair use—is good policy, says YALSA president-elect Chris Shoemaker, the incoming director of the Rye (NY) Free Reading Room. He recommends talking with teens about the content they produce, such as who may view their posts, the identity they’re projecting online, and what information can be traced back to them. Shoemaker works with students to revise their material before they publish. “I would never want a teenager to pull down content after it’s posted,” he says.

At DYN, Hawkins monitors teens’ social media use rather than polices. That strategy has motivated his young patrons to take ownership and think critically about what they post. When the content is inappropriate, Hawkins and other DYN staff are careful to express their concern in such a way that encourages kids and keeps them engaged—and helps them make good decisions. “I won’t say, ‘Take that down,’” says Hawkins. “But I may say, ‘You want to play this on the radio—but I can’t share this with anyone.’ So you can shape things.”

Ultimately it’s the teens themselves who determine how successfully libraries integrate social media. The real acid test? Whether or not they invite their friends into the branches.

Hawkins says, “We have students coming to the [YOUmedia] studio and taking pictures” who then share the images, attracting the attention of other kids, who ask, “Where you at?” The teens’ own posts can be very effective in promoting the library as a cool place, he adds.

Particularly for libraries lacking a marketing budget, this kind of public relations can work wonders. “If [students] see something cool, and they see a place where adults care about them,” says Hawkins, “they’re going to promote it more than we ever could.”

At press time, it was unclear how long Barnes and Noble (B&N) would continue marketing Nook-branded hardware.

B&N sent me a pair of Nook models late last winter. I liked both, but tabled my reviews when rumors surfaced in February that B&N might close its hardware side and focus on app-based content sales through third-party devices. Speculation then intensified as B&N offered discounts and freebies to accelerate stalling sales, then opened up the limited Nook tablet ecosystem in May to allow Nook HD and HD+ users to access all Android apps and content.

Then reports swirled that Microsoft, holding a 17 percent stake in Nook Media, B&N’s
digital content and devices arm, was poised to bid a billion dollars to buy the division outright.

That would allow Microsoft to compete with industry rivals who were already content providers, like Apple and Google. Some predicted that Microsoft would include preinstalled Nook apps on upcoming mobile devices powered by Windows 8 RT. Meanwhile, B&N stock prices, up nearly 25 percent when Microsoft rumors peaked, dropped as they subsided. I’ll keep you posted on all things Nook as the facts shake out, so stay tuned. Meantime, here’s my take on two Nook devices.

Nook Simple Touch with “GlowLight”

Barnes & Noble was the first to boast that their Nook Simple Touch reader with GlowLight ($119, at left) was as as readable in a dark bedroom as it is on a sunny beach and is the best dedicated ereader on the planet. Its sole focus is delivering a comfortable, elegant textual experience, period.

Beyond the built-in WiFi allowing B&N bookstore purchases and downloads, librarians will appreciate that the Simple Touch handles DRM-protected EPUB and PDF files transferred via USB, making it library-loan friendly. Under seven ounces and with totally intuitive controls, low-key design, and a nimble, six-inch, 600 x 800 touchscreen, the Simple Touch can be unboxed, charged up, and used without even thinking about it.

That’s how I like my gadgets. The GlowLight feature is an easily activated, adjustable light from eight LEDs that gently illuminate the E Ink Pearl screen from the front. It’s perfect for nocturnal readers who don’t want to disturb their snoozing bedfellows.

The GlowLight cuts the use-per-charge time roughly in half, but B&N still promises “over a month” of reading time with the GlowLight on and WiFi off. You can expect about 15 hours of GlowLight reading per charge.

Nook HD (8 GB) 7-inch tablet

When released in November 2012, the Nook HD ($199, above right) was a “walled garden” device, only offering access to B&N-approved content and apps. Following the poor holiday sales, B&N opened up access to the Google Play store on its HD and HD+ (nine-inch) tablets in early May. That gave users access to over 700,000 Android apps and a constellation of Google services including the Chrome browser and Google apps.

A Mother’s Day promotion offered the 8GB HD for $149, probably boosting spring sales. But adding Google Play Store came at a price for B&N, allowing users to buy content from Amazon, Google, and Kobo.

The 8GB Nook HD was worth the $199 price. It has the highest resolution display (1400 x 900, 243 pixels per inch) of any seven-inch tablet. Compare that to the iPad Mini with its 163-pixel-per-inch display. I didn’t mind the Nook HD’s lack of cameras. It has the stuff to handle most multimedia: a headset jack, a mic, rear-facing stereo speakers, and the ability to play 720p video. At just over 11 ounces, it’s 2.8 ounces lighter than the Kindle Fire HD.

My only complaint was occasional sluggishness with lots of apps running. Sometimes, the carousel menu was unresponsive. Fortunately, the Advanced Task Killer app fixed that.

I wasn’t a big fan of the first 2009 Nook. But I’ve warmed to Nooks as they’ve risen to the top of the heap. I’ve always appreciated that Nooks were ebook loan friendly, and I hope they will compete and survive. Visit Barnes and Noble for information on all Nook devices.

Jeffrey Hastings (hastingj@howellschools.com) is a library media specialist at Highlander Way Middle School in Howell, MI.

A

As I travel to the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Chicago later this month, I will inevitably carry the baggage of an unresolved disconnect. Those of us inside Libraryland know what our K–12 peers deliver, yet that value is clearly not understood by administrators, who are cutting school librarian positions nationwide. I can’t help but think that a key resource is being squandered out of sheer ignorance.

We have a perception problem. ALA’s current president, Maureen Sullivan, agrees. “I am concerned that school administrators may not fully understand the critical role school libraries and their librarians play in fostering academic achievement and student success in a technology-driven world,” she wrote recently on Huffington Post.

I think she’s right. Moreover, ALA has an obligation to help set the record straight and demonstrate to school leaders the value of the talented people and programs right under their noses. But this challenge calls for more than a task force. It requires a shift in strategy.

Don’t get me wrong. It was encouraging to see Sullivan’s “State of America’s School Libraries” (April 15). The post conveyed urgency and important background about school librarians’ role and their contribution to student learning. But, she buried the lead. The massive body of research that articulates how librarians directly affect student success was allotted only a short paragraph. I think administrators will care if they see what they are actually giving up.

So, what to do? Engage in radical advocacy. The last time ALA leadership really confronted a pressing perception problem—the refusal of publishers to offer ebooks for lending in public libraries—they broke the mold and made inroads with industry leaders through a persistent series of high-level meetings to raise awareness about the role libraries play in building a reading public and marketing publishers’ products—books.

Somewhere along the way, ALA realized the necessity to reframe the conversation about libraries in light of ebooks. It needed to proactively engage the powers that be in the commercial sector to correct the misperception that a library sale is a lost sale. I’m sure some of those meetings were hard to arrange, and even felt risky. I sat in on one in New York that was undeniably confrontational. Facing differences of opinion and knowledge gaps can be like that.

I urge ALA leadership to step out of the comfort zone as it did on ebooks and advocate with education leaders they don’t normally talk to—district leaders, principals, superintendents, and departments of education—to correct the misperception that school librarians are expendable. Tap incoming president Barbara Stripling’s deep passion and knowledge to tip the scales. She managed one of the most complex school library systems in the United States, New York City’s, during a time of tremendous change, and she is past president of AASL. Stripling is uniquely positioned to tell this story in a compelling way.

Cuts to school libraries can’t just be one of ALA’s problems, and it’s not a challenge for the youth divisions to shoulder alone. These cuts impact all libraries and leave our kids in the lurch. If you care about the future of libraries, you have to care about the future of school libraries. Just as the association tackled ebooks head on, now is the time for ALA to drive a new advocacy strategy for school librarians.

  Rebecca T. Miller
Editor-in-Chief
rmiller@mediasourceinc.com

Photo by Michael J. Okoniewski /Getty Images for SLJ.

When Tamora Pierce found out that she had won the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award, she was initially speechless. Murmuring too softly for Jamie Watson and the rest of the award committee to hear, Pierce wondered, “Has anybody

mentioned I have a bit of a problem with potty mouth?” Fortunately, nobody on the committee heard this remark, and the secret has been safe until now. While choosing a person “with a bit of a potty mouth” might make for an entertaining Edwards speech, Pierce’s selection as the 2013 Edwards winner honors several decades of writing feminist fantasy featuring kick-butt female protagonists who appeal widely to both male and female readers.

Pierce’s writing, however, has never won the Printz or Newbery awards. In fact, her “Song of the Lioness” series, honored by the Edwards committee, was initially conceived of as an adult novel. Fortunately, she says, that much different (and horrible) version does not exist today. She credits her transformation to beloved teen author to the time she spent telling stories as a house-mother in a group home for teen girls. Since her first book, Alanna the Lioness, came out in 1983, Pierce has been quietly writing exceptional and thoughtful fantasy that serves as a beacon for young readers who want to see themselves as heroes. This year, the Margaret A. Edwards Award, sponsored by SLJ and administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, honors her lasting and significant contribution to readers of all ages and both genders with a tribute that many claim is 10 years overdue.

In Pierce’s shoes, I might be tempted, in the face of all the attention showered upon Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) or Veronica Roth (Divergent) and other wildly popular authors of fiction featuring strong female characters to scream, “BUT I HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT WEAPON-WIELDING FEMALE HEROES FOR YEARS!” Pierce, however, welcomes the company.

“Actually I’m just glad it ain’t so lonesome out there anymore,” she says. “I like to read it, too, you know. Some of them are like guys in drag, but not Suzanne Collins and Kristin Cashore. When Graceling and Hunger Games came out in the same year, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It made me so very happy.”

As for the current meme lamenting the lack of action-packed boy books? Even over the phone I can see Pierce’s eyes roll as she instantly names authors and titles, only stopping because her website lists many such titles for those who mistakenly insist that somehow boys are not served by recently published books, to say nothing of the fact that her fans include many boys, including this one.

Pierce lives with her “Spouse-Creature” in Syracuse, New York. This interview was conducted on International Women’s Day—I’d love to say that it was intentional, but it was just serendipity. On that cold, winter day we enjoyed a warm discussion of her writing and the issues and themes she regularly addresses in her fiction. She even offered men the absolute best advice for how to nurture the innate hero in their daughters.

A person with a misspelled name is obviously destined to become the winner of the Margaret Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature, right?

What you said about me not having won any previous big awards, like a Newbery or a Printz? That sort of piles up. So when you do win a big one, you’re sitting there going, “I could have sworn he just said I got the Edwards Award.” It’s sort of not sinking through. It’s just too unbelievable.

My mother wanted to name me “Tamara,” but the nurse who filled out my birth certificate had never heard of such a fancy name (we are talking Pennsylvania coal country in the 1950s), so she misspelled it, and I legitimately became Tamora (pronounced like “camera”). I actually like it better than Tamara, which means “graceful” and “a palm tree,” and is the name of a Russian saint. I am none of these things.

I had started my fantasy-writing career in college. I had written a lot as a teenager, but my adult career didn’t really begin until college. I broke through the short-story-to-novel barrier in June of 1976. Five months later I had a dream. I woke up, and by the time I got to the typewriter and sat down and started to write, I actually only had a fragment left. I don’t retain dreams very well. And I only had an image left from that dream, and I never included it in the finished book.

But somehow that dream or that fragment unlocked something in my head, that same story that I’d been attempting to tell all along of a girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to become a knight. I wrote the first scene in which the father tells his twins that he’s arranged their lives for the next eight years or so, and I wrote the next scene and the scene after that and the scene after that. I sometimes call it my string-of-pearls novel because for the first and only time, I just kept writing the next scene until five months and 732 manuscript pages later I had a finished novel. I got the title from my boyfriend. He said, “How about The Song of the Lioness?” And I said, “Sounds good to me.”

Then you split that one book into the four books?

I was sending it around to adult publishers, and my life was sort of going up and down. I was out of college, living with my dad and stepmother in Idaho. I had gotten the only job that I ever was educated for. I became a housemother in a group home for teenaged girls. The girls wanted to read my book, and I wanted them to read it because I didn’t want them to think I was shining them on when I said I was a writer. When the director found out it was an adult novel with sex and violence and drug and alcohol use in it—and since those were the things that had gotten the girls into the home in the first place—he didn’t want them reading about them in a book by an authority figure, which is what I was passing for at the time.

So every afternoon, when I was on shift, the girls would come home from school or before bedtime and literally drag me to the dining room table and give me the binder I had the manuscript in, and they would say, “Pierce, tell us more about Alanna.” And I would sit there with the binder in my lap and I would retell the story to them, suitably edited. Well, apparently not as suitably as the director of the home would have liked, but if he wanted it more suitably edited he should have been there.

I moved to New York after I left the home and went to work for a literary agency. The agent took a look at my manuscript and said I should turn it into four books for teenagers. I knew it would work because I already had the girls’ reaction. So I had to rewrite it. We tried it on three publishers, and Jean Karl at the third said, “No,” because of the number of pages, so Claire Smith, my agent, talked her into meeting with me, and we talked about the changes she felt the manuscript needed. I rewrote it again, and Atheneum took me on as a writer.

“Protector of the Small ” is a very different series!

Yes. Well, I’d sort of done Alanna a disservice by making her a mage, a wizard, and a knight, and I’d been thinking that I really wanted to try the idea of a girl knight. And these books just caught fire.

Alanna is such a hothead and Kel is so grounded—I always feel like I am reading about real people.

I try to do that. I try very hard to make it so that people can feel they can turn a corner and find my characters there and hang out with them. I base a lot of characters on either people I know or actors or characters they play, but the important thing is they have to feel as real as humanly possible.

Your early books are all around 200 pages and then we get to Trickster’s Choice and the page count doubles and almost triples with “Beka Cooper.”

Ever since they took us off that cursed 200-manuscript-page limit, I just spread out a little, and I don’t have to do four books anymore.

When you think back to “Song of the Lioness” or “Protector of the Small,” now that you have a little more word freedom, what changes would you make?

Well, Song of the Lioness in particular, I look back on it now and I think, “Oh, I wish I hadn’t jammed so much plot into every book. I wish I’d spread out a bit.” But I couldn’t do that to my fans. They’ve fallen in love with those books as they are, each and every word, so I would not touch them. I would not dare to touch them. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Mark Reads. He will record himself reading and reacting. He’d just finished the Alanna books, and it was through his reactions and his audience’s reactions that I discovered that, even though I could see all I would improve, I actually had some good stuff in there.

Do you have a writing routine, an average day?

I have multiple book contracts. So these days by the time I sit down to actually work on a book, I’ve been generally thinking about it at a minimum for four to six years. I’ve been turning the material over in my head. I’ve chosen whoever I’m going to base the characters on. I always try to start—it may not end up that way in the final version, but I try to start—with us meeting the main character, and he’s doing or she’s doing something that tells us something about them. In my first chapters I introduce the main characters, the secondary characters, the main plot, the overarching themes for the book. And if you know me at all, you know my endings are fairly simple. There’s a forest fire, an epidemic, a war, the ground opens up, the palace collapses inside, and the rats reign supreme over all. Then I get to writing, and I’m toggling along, and I hit chapter four or five, and all of a sudden I hit that vast wasteland that I have not outlined for because I don’t outline really. And I realize I have no idea what’s going to happen then. I’ve got to line up my ducks to fetch up the earthquakes, forest fires, ground opens up, palace, rats.

That’s when I scream for my husband.

You and your husband created Sheroes, an online hang out for young women. How did this evolve?

I had fallen into conversation online with a very new to YA writer named Meg Cabot. We were talking about how hard it was for us to find female heroes when we were growing up, real women in the real world. We basically wanted to cover anything that would get girls and young women to talk about female heroes and real-life ones and Meg’s books and my books and anything else that came along. I left in about 2006, because my life sort of exploded, too, but I think it’s still running.

Sex, GBLTQ issues, racism, class warfare, social justice. Have you had any backlash about any of these elements in your work?

Not really. Once or twice in person, usually on the sexual aspects. Twice—once in a county in Oregon and once apparently in North Carolina—Alanna got challenged for sexual material. That’s it.

Is it because it is fantasy writing?

I have no clue. I think it was in SLJ, in an article on YA romance writers getting challenged, someone said, “I don’t get it. Tammy Pierce writes every bit as much sexuality as I do, and nobody ever says anything about her.” I laughed, but it’s true. All that stuff about Harry Potter and witchcraft, and I have been writing plain old paganism ever since 1983 and nobody has said diddly-squat.

What new words may readers expect from Tamora Pierce this year and in 2014?

Well, right now it’s Battle Magic, which is the “Circle Universe.” I’m crunching every day finishing the second draft. Briar, Rose-thorn, and Evvy are caught up in a tiny country fighting off a very much larger and bigger China-like country. I’m almost done with the second draft. My poor editor is working away, and I’m just sending her chapters. It’s very dark, but there’s a lot of really crazy stuff. I don’t know what happened to me, but somewhere along the line when I was writing it, parts of the landscape started to come to life. That’s unusual for me. I usually like to keep the organic stuff organic and the inorganic stuff dead. But it had its own opinions.

Tell us about problems young women face today.

There are just so many traps out there for girls and women. There is the domesticity trap, there is the sexuality trap, there is the intellect trap. If you say too much, you could get called this; if you do too much, you could get called that; girls don’t do this; it’s rude if you do that; if you talk about this, you’re weird; if you talk about that, you’re a slut. I talked too loud and was hushed up. I was interested in boy things and was told to be quiet. I wrote to the FBI to see about becoming an agent and was told that the only option for me was secretarial work. And then I got to college and went to work with a feminist, and got told that because I had a sense of humor it was wrong, and because I was straight I was wrong….

You just can’t be right!

Yeah. It just seemed like judgmentalism is something that women and girls smash into all the time. Writing ways to deal with that and writing ways to say, “Well, here’s who I am”—that seems to be the thing that people take away from what I do. And it doesn’t matter what sex they are, they seem to take away that you do what you want to do with your life, you become who you want to be. It’s going to be a lot of work, it’s going to be really hard, but you can do it if you want it badly enough. But you have to want it badly because the world sets up so many barriers for young people in general. I mean, even for boys.

What advice would you give me and other men to nurture that inner hero of the young women we know?

Be determined and dare to be stupid!

Ed Spicer (edspicer@me.com) teaches first grade at North Ward Elementary School in Allegan, MI. He was a member of the 2013 Margaret Edwards Award committee, as well as the 2005 Printz Award committee. He reviews teen literature for the Michigan Reading Association.

Inside Outside (Boyd)
©2013 by Lizi Boyd

Preschool to Grade 4

BOYD, Lizi. Inside Outside. illus. by author. Chronicle. p. 76 .

CHENG, Andrea. The Year of the Baby. illus. by Patrice Barton. Houghton Harcourt. p. 78.

ELLIOT, David. Henry’s Map . illus. by author. Philomel. June 2013. p. 82.

FOGLIANO, Julie. If You Want to See a Whale . illus. by Erin E. Stead. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. p. 84.

GREY, Mini. Toys in Space. illus. by author. Knopf. p. 86.

RAPOSO, Joe. Sing. illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. p. 107.

RINKER, Sherri Duskey. Steam Train, Dream Train . illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. Chronicle. p. 97.

GRADES 5 & UP

BEATY, Andrea. Dorko the Magnificent. illus. by Nathan Hale. Abrams/Amulet. p. 110.

BLACK, Holly. Doll Bones . illus. by Eliza Wheeler. S & S/McElderry. p. 112.

GOODMAN, Shawn. Kindness for Weakness . Delacorte. p. 124.

KADOHATA, Cynthia. The Thing About Luck . illus. by Julia Kuo. S & S/Atheneum. June 2013. p. 128.

KENNEDY, Caroline, sel. Poems to Learn by Heart . illus. by Jon J. Muth. Hyperion/Disney. p. 150.

LEE, Jenny. Elvis and the Underdogs. illus. by Kelly Light. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. p. 131.

MCNEAL, Tom. Far Far Away. Knopf. June 2013. p. 133.

WILLIAMS-GARCIA, Rita. P.S. Be Eleven . HarperCollins/Amistad. June 2013. p. 146.

WINTERS, Cat. In the Shadow of Blackbirds. Abrams/Amulet. p. 146.

Adult Books 4 Teens Blog

HILL, Joe. NOS4A2 . Morrow. (May 1, 2013, post)

WECKER, Helene. The Golem and the Jinni. Harper-Collins. (May 1, 2013, post)

JOHNSON, Scott C. The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA. Norton. (May 6, 2013, post)

ZUCKOFF, Mitchell. Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II. HarperCollins. (May 6, 2013, post)

DVD

Deep Down: A Story from the Heart of Coal Country. New Day Films. p. 53.

My Garden. DVD. Weston Woods. p. 52.

Silicon Valley. DVD. PBS Dist. p. 54.

AUDIO

Home of Song. Performed by Paul Spring. CDBaby.com. p. 63.

Marvelous Land of Oz. By Frank L. Baum. Dreamscape Media. p. 59.

Never Forgotten. By Patricia McKissack. Recorded Books. p. 59.

One and Only Ivan. By Katherine Applegate. Recorded Books. p. 59.

Orangutan Van. Performed by Mr. Steve. CD. SteveSongs.com. p. 63.

When Life Gives You O.J. By Erica S. Perl. Listening Library. p. 61.

BBC Earth Wonders.BBC Worldwide LTD. 2013. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.0. $3.99.
Gr 2 Up–Earth Wonders offers a collection of images showcasing the fierce and fascinating beauty of our natural world, including rare animals, plants, and natural phenomena. As such, it supports science research, though the brevity of the text may make it a supplemental resource. The app’s real standouts are the hundreds of high-quality photos and numerous videos that bring information to life in a way that text cannot. These can be accessed alphabetically, or by theme, or by tapping a globe.

Providing glimpses into the incredible and often dangerous facets of nature, the videos are sometimes grisly; sensitive viewers may be disturbed by a pack of lions hunting and devouring an elephant. Then again, what child can resist seeing a Venus fly trap capture its prey? Other videos are sheer awe and beauty, such as the time-lapse scenes of the aurora borealis. Users may be put off by the somewhat clumsy interface and the prominent link to purchase the BBC’s Planet Earth television series after each video, but kids will love navigating via the spinning globe. Overall, a welcome resource for those with a keen eye for nature.–Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA

Fire Station. $2.99
Firefighter Dress-Up. $0.99.
ea vol: JumpSeeWow, Inc. 2012. iOS, requires 5.0 or later. Version 1.0.
PreS-Gr 2-Do your students and know the difference between a fire truck and a fire engine? In Fire Station, Clover the Rabbit takes kids through a cheery animated town where 10 documentary videos on the firehouse and firefighters’ equipment are embedded. Intuitive picture cues are tapped to launch the short films, which range in length from one to five minutes.

The narrated video clips include tours of the two aforementioned vehicles and the station. They star actual firefighters who describe their daily tasks, point out and name the different parts and functions of their vehicles, and demonstrate how they operate. (Two of the videos are available for preview at the Jump SeeWow site.) Children can easily navigate the app, swiping across screens to move through scenes. A few of the images around town are also interactive, but there are no cues pointing to the interactions. One video is of baguette making at the bakery, which may not interest children invested in the firefighter theme.

The app would work well in a preschool or early elementary setting as part of a unit on community workers, and is sure to appeal to children who can’t get enough information on the subject of firefighters. Firefighter Dress-Up is a related app with the same cartoon characters available to color and dress. There’s no text and the interface is clumsy. The clothing doesn’t snap into place easily and users must exit the app to clear the picture. Stick with Fire Station; young enthusiasts will find much to revisit in that production.–Shelley Harris, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Loree Griffin Burns. 2013. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. iBooks 3.0 or later; iOS, requires 5.1 or later. Version 1.0. $ 9.99.
Gr 4-9–“There is a lot more trash out there than I expected.” This was the observation of a marine pollution researcher after his first flights over the Eastern Garbage Patch, an area of the Pacific Ocean where currents converge to create a floating landfill the size of Alaska. The vivid images, clear descriptions, videos, and animated diagrams in the iBook edition of will no doubt bring readers to the same realization. The title, one in the “Scientists in the Field” series (HMH, 2007) follows the efforts of Curt Ebbesmeyer and other scientists whose work studying ocean currents included tracking the routes of “roughly 80,000 sneakers” and 28,800 plastic tub toys adrift in the Pacific Ocean after two (separate) cargo spills, and referred to as “the largest and (cheapest) ocean drift experiment ever undertaken.”

The ebook has been enhanced with age-appropriate video content—one or two short multimedia components per chapter, including a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) animation of ocean currents that is both soothing and dizzying at the same time. The news is not all bad, though—readers also learn about scientists and conservationists who use techniques as basic as beachcombing and as advanced as satellite tracking to identify and clean up our oceans. Tracking Trash inspires further research and individual commitment to the environment, and with links to relevant websites and ongoing projects accessible from the tablet, the creators of the app have made it easy for students pursue their interests. Bonus: unlike the print version, the ebook edition isn’t made out of a tree and won’t end up in a landfill.–Paula Wiley, Pink Me

My Garden (Weston Woods)
©2010 by Kevin Henkes

 My Garden. DVD. 10 min. Weston Woods. 2013. ISBN 0-545-57129-4. $59.95; CD: $12.95; CD with hardcover book: $29.95.

PreS-Gr 2–Based on the charming book by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow, 2010), this is a delightful introduction to gardens. The young girl in the story helps with the family garden, which involves a lot of work for what she sometimes considers to be questionable results. (She does NOT like carrots.) Yet, as she works her imagination takes flight, and the garden she dreams of grows seashells, flowers that change colors, things that glow in the dark, and crops that would render you speechless with their size. The story circles back to reality, with a touch of whimsy thrown in, as no one truly wants to abandon their dreams—and—well, what if…? Henkes’s vivid and child-friendly illustrations are charmingly animated for this presentation as Cassandra Morris reads the story in a young voice that captures its mood perfectly. A read-along option is provided. This exceptional program will tie in naturally with plant and garden units, and serve as a seed for growing interesting creative writing assignments.–Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA

 Deep Down: A Story from the Heart of Coal Country.  DVD. 57 min. New Day Films. 2010, 2013 release. ISBN 978-1-57448-281-2.  $99. 

Gr 9 Up–The controversial topic of mountaintop removal mining is viewed through the lives Beverly May and Terry Ratliff, residents of Floyd County, Kentucky. May, a fourth generation resident of the area wants to protect the land which is her home and her heritage. Her neighbor, Ratliff, is more pragmatic and considers leasing his land to a mining company. He believes that the land is resilient and can recover from whatever actions are taken to remove the coal. With appropriate background music and stunning scenes of the Kentucky landscape contrasted with the stark topography of mountaintop removal sites, this story plays out over the course of two years as citizens useg public hearings and their knowledge of existing laws to stop the mine planned for their hollow. Mining is the economy of the community and the residents know its impact upon their wellbeing, health, and safety. The grassroots movement led by May was successful and stopped the mine. Ratliff, who had delayed his decision to lease his land to the coal company, ended up with no money. There are five bonus segments that explore power production. This documentary can be utilized across the curriculum to study grassroots democracy, environmental issues, the culture of mountain areas, business, and philosophical ethics of “a society dependent upon blowing up a mountain…” to maintain a lifestyle dependent upon electricity.–Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community College, Mt. Carmel

 Silicon Valley (American Experience Series). DVD. 90 min. Prod. by WGBH Educational Foundation. Dist. byPBS Dist. 2013. ISBN 978-1-60883-836-3. $24.99.

Gr 9 Up–The post-World War II era was a dynamic one in all aspects of American life, but perhaps none more so than in the fledgling technology that was impacting both our personal and economic realms. Just as our country’s creativity helped develop innovations to win the war, it continued to thrive, especially in electronics, space exploration, and computerization after the war. After the shock of Russia’s launch of the first Earth satellite, national energy became focused on pushing our domestic research even more. Farmland in the Santa Clara Valley outside San Francisco became ground zero for a number of emerging and expanding companies. This well-crafted program details the manner in which this growth occurred by focusing on Robert Noyce, a young physicist who surrounded himself with dynamic businessmen and creative scientists to light the fire of the electronic explosion that established America as the world’s leader in innovation. Particularly interesting is the manner in which these businesses adopted their unique sense of corporate culture in which creativity rather than traditional business convention was paramount. The producers utilize an incredible variety of vintage photographs and live-action footage, interviews with those who played roles in the movement, as well as commentary by historians to help viewers place the quick-paced revolution into perspective. Chapter/scene selection and English-language subtitles are optional. This stellar program will be quite useful in a number of classroom settings as well as for individual research or casual viewing, especially by those with a curiosity about how today’s technology revolution actually began.–Dwain Thomas, formerly of Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL

 The Marvelous Land of Oz. By Frank L. Baum. 4 CDs. 5:04 hrs. Dreamscape Media. 2013. ISBN 978-1-6240-6378-7. $39.99.

Gr 3 Up–The second book in Baum’s Oz series and the sequel to The Wizard of Oz features many of the elements of the original story and introduces several new characters, including Tip, a young rascal, his guardian Mombi, a witch, and several sidekicks, including Jack Pumpkinhead, They journey to the Emerald City to escape Mombi’s wrath and learn that the Scarecrow, the city ruler, has been displaced by General JinJin and her all-girl army, armed with knitting needles. In an effort to restore the Scarecrow to his throne, they travel to the Winkie kingdom ruled by the Tin Woodmen and search out the good witch Glinda. Other helpers include a flying beast named Gump, a highly educated Wogglebug, and some field mice. Narrator Tara Sands deftly moves from one quirky character to another, creating a unique accent and vocal range for each one and giving them emotional depth. For example, Tip’s mischievous nature is apparent as he plots to scare Mombie and General JinJin has an authoritative voice as she leads her troops forward. A successful continuation of a much loved story with spot-on narration that will attract new fans.–Edie Ching, University of Maryland, College Park

 Never Forgotten. By Patricia McKissack. cassette or CD. 30 min. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-3475-8, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-3476-5. $15.75; hardcover book: ISBN 978-0-3758-4384-6: $18.99.

Gr 4-7–In a tribute to those who were stolen from homes in Africa to become slaves in the New World, McKissack weaves a tale (Schwartz & Wade, 2011) about a loving father and the young son who is taken from him. Dinga, a seventh-generation Mende blacksmith, is a talented and respected man. After his wife dies in childbirth, Dinga defies tradition, raising his son Musafa with the help of the Mother Elements—Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. Musafa grows strong and wise. He becomes Dinga’s apprentice, creating pretty, but useless objects. One day, while gathering wood, Musafa is captured. Dinga searches in vain for his son, then appeals to the Elements for help. They take turns following Musafa, reporting to Dinga of his son’s passage, his courage, and finally, of his new life as a blacksmith in South Carolina. Dinga rejoices that Musafa is alive and that his talent for creating lovely objects could earn his freedom. Lizan Mitchell performs the passages of McKissack’s 2012 Coretta Scott King Honor book melodiously and with fervor. The author’s note was not recorded. Leo and Diane Dillon’s acrylic and watercolor illustrations resemble woodcuts, superimposing bold figures on fainter ones, creating impressions of lingering spirits, evil, and sadness. Combining history, folk tales, and legend into a moving remembrance of families torn apart, this haunting story with its rich illustrations is strengthened by this wonderful audio interpretation.–MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, New York

 The One and Only Ivan. By Katherine Applegate. 3 cassettes or 3 CDs. 3:45 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-5124-3, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-5123-6. $30.75.

Gr 3-7–Ivan the silverback gorilla has lived a solitary life as the star of the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade for 27 years, watching TV and painting still-life representations of objects in his domain. Separated from his family at a very young age, Ivan lived with Mack and his wife as one of the family until he became too large for their home. Now his companions are an elderly elephant named Stella and a stray dog, Bob. Although he forms an attachment to Julia, the daughter of the mall’s custodian, Ivan views most humans with distaste, merely tolerating the crowds that come to stare at him daily. Life changes dramatically for Ivan, though, when a baby elephant, Ruby, is bought to replace Stella, who is dying of an old injury and neglect. Prodded by his urge to care for and protect Ruby, Ivan begins remembering what it was like to be a wild gorilla, and how he was violently taken from his family. He begins to see his “domain” as the cage that it is, and he vows to give Ruby a better life than he and Stella had. It is Ivan’s art that sets him free, and his courage and resourcefulness that help him fulfill his promise. Adam Grupper gives Ivan a calm, pragmatic voice that aptly conveys his concise, descriptive sentences, while giving similarly unique voices to other characters. Applegate’s Newbery winner (HarperCollins, 2012) is based on a true story. Ivan’s heart-wrenching tale reminds us that every animal has the right to a safe place called home.–MaryAnn Karre, West Middle School, Binghamton, NY

 When Life Gives You OJ. By Erica S. Perl. 4 CDs. 4:47 hr. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-385-39326-3. $30.

Gr 4-6–Zelly Fried has problems. Her best friend is off at camp and hasn’t written. Her Jewish family has recently moved to Vermont after the death of her grandmother, Bubbles. Her grandfather, Ace, is now living with them. And she wants a dog, but her parents won’t let her have one. That’s a lot for a 10-year-old (almost 11) to put up with. Then Ace comes up with an idea—a “practice dog.” If Zelly can prove that she’s responsible with the surrogate, surely she can convince her parents she’s ready for the real thing. This explains why Zelly is dragging a plastic orange juice jug around town on a leash all summer. Is there humiliation involved? Of course. Will it be worth it? Who knows? Perl’s fabulous story (Knopf, 2011) receives first-class treatment in this audio version. Abigail Revasch is amazing as she creates different voices and styles for each character. Ace’s broad Jewish accent and his interfering, storytelling ways come across especially well here, as does the young but determined voice of Zelly. This delightful story will have listeners giggling, while rooting for Zelly’s ultimate pet success.–Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way, WA

 Home of Song. Performed by Paul Spring. CD. 34 min. CDBaby.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $14.99.

PreS-Gr 3–Hailing from central Minnesota, Paul Spring’s second album is his first for families. Filled with folksy, down-home, easy listening pop, Spring brilliantly uses storytelling in each tune to take listeners on a journey beyond the surface music. “Home of Song” compares music to members of the family (“melody was my Mother, rhythm my Father…brothers and sisters filled in the notes between them, making a harmony to hold through time”). A a ride on the family van (“Sloppy Jalopy”) is compared to “goin’ up and down like the Dow Jones and NASDAQ.” “Red Sky at Morning” serves as a weather warning to shipmates. “Peter Pan” is a lament to Wendy, wishing “to be Peter Pan, always a boy and never a man.” “Mermaid” details a meeting with a mermaid who took the teller below the sea for a looooong time. Other highlights include the literary “Mind Over Matter,” “Sherlock Holmes,” and “Don Quixote.” Tunes are filled with bluegrass elements and instrumentation is largely acoustic. Spring receives musical help from Grammy Award-winning The Okee Dokee Brothers, Justin Lansing (banjo) and Joe Mailander (harmony vocals). Sure to hit the right chord for everyone.–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

 Orangutan Van. Performed by Mr. Steve. CD. 51 min. SteveSongs.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $13.98.

PreS-Gr 3–Award-winning kids’ musician Steve Roslonek (professionally known as “SteveSongs” and as “Mr. Steve” to viewers of PBS Kids) continues his winning ways with the release of his eighth album for children. The 14 songs balance catchy melodies, smart lyrics, and humor just right for the intended audience. Recorded retro-style (with multiple instruments at the same time), there is a clean, unified sound—nothing is isolated. Opening with “Recess Rocks” (a technopop-rap-fusion movement song), Roslonek celebrates the inner “Superhero You” (an adult-sounding contemporary easy listening/rap that features a flute countermelody), plays an alphabet game in “A Is for Silly” (sidekick Silly Vanilli the puppet is “awesome”), and presents a mathematical puzzle in the title tune. “Brush, Brush, Brush” is a get ready for school game song. “All in This Together (MLK)” is an upbeat number that features lyrics inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Fans of Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley books/The Flat Stanley Project will be thrilled to sing about further travels of their hero. “Soaring with Reading,” “Grumpy Boy,” and “Soaring without a Rhyme” (a duet with Anand Nayak) also bear mention. Quirky fun for the family.–Stephanie Bange, Wright State University, Dayton, OH

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The following titles are reviewed in the June print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

DVD

Entertainment

Charlie: A Toy Story. DVD. 99 min. Prod. by Engine 15 Media Group and 4 Angel Prods. Dist. by Entertainment One. 2013. ISBN 1-4172-3983-2. $14.98

Guidance

The Boy Game. DVD. 16 min. with tchr’s. guide. New Day Films. 2012. ISBN unavail. public library: $79, schools: $125.

Health

Create a Great Plate: MyPlate Dietary Guidelines. DVD. 22 min. with tchr’s. guide online. Learning ZoneXpress. 2012. ISBN unavail.  $79.95.

Managing Puberty, Social Challenges, and (Almost) Everything: A Video Guide for Girls. DVD. 80 min. Coulter Video. 2013. ISBN unavail. $29.

Meet the New You! For Girls. DVD. 18:10 min. with tchr’s. guide. MarshMedia. 2013. ISBN 978-1-55942-635-0. $79.95.

Language Arts

And Then It’s Spring. DVD. 8 min. Weston Woods. 2013. ISBN 0-545-57133-2. $59.95; CD: $12.95; CD with hardcover book: $29.95.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Through the Art Style of Keith Haring (Classical Art Series). DVD. 10 min. Film Ideas. 2013. ISBN 978-1-60572-611-3. $89.

Religion

Shayna Maidels: Orthodox Jewish Teenage Girls. DVD. 24 min. Prod. by Hippie Chick Flix. Dist. by AV Café. 2011. 2013 release. ISBN unavail. $45.

Science

Asexual and Sexual Reproduction. DVD. 16 min. with tchr’s. guide. Prod. by VEA. Dist. by Films Media. 2012. ISBN unavail. $129.

California Forever: The Story of California State Parks.

 DVD. 1:45 hrs. Backcountry Pictures. 2012, 2013 release. ISBN unavail. $49; 30 min. classroom version of episode 1: $39. 

Decoding Neanderthals (NOVA Series). DVD. 60 min. Prod. by WGBH Educational Foundation. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2013. ISBN 978-1-60883-841-7. $24.99.

Elemental. DVD 56 min. Cinema Guild. 2012, 2013 release. ISBN 0-7815-1436-3. $99.95.

Jane’s Journey. DVD. 1:51 hrs. Prod. by Bavaria Film Int’l. Dist. by First Run Features. 2011, 2013 release. ISBN unavail. $27.95.

The Little Scientist: Here I Am! Camouflage. DVD. 10 min. Film Ideas. 2013. ISBN 978-1-60572-707-3. $89.

The Ultimate Wish: Ending the Nuclear Age. DVD. 39:37 min. Prod. by Richter Prods. Dist. by New Day Films. 2012. ISBN unavail. K–12 schools: $59; public libraries: $49.

Social Studies

Anthem: The Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner. DVD, 61 min. Prod. by Make Your MarkMedia. Dist. by Colonial Music Institute. 2012. ISBN unavail. $20.

Henry Ford (American Experience Series). DVD. 2 hrs. Prod. by WGBH Educational Foundation. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2013. ISBN 978-1-60883-835-6. $24.99.

The Young Ancestors. DVD. 60 min. Cinema Guild. 2012, 2013 release. ISBN 0-7815-1435-5. $99.95.

Audio

Many of these titles are available for download and/or in Playaway format. Check distributors’ websites, playaway.com, and audio download retailers for availability and price.

Language Arts

Also Known As. By Robin Benway. 6 CDs. 7:04 hrs. Brillance Audio. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4692-7720-2. $69.97.

Blessed. By Tonya Hurley. 9 cassettes or 9 CDs. 10 hrs. Recorded Books . 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4354-5, CD ISBN978-4703-4353-8. $102.75.

City of a Thousand Dolls. By Miriam Forster. 7 CDs. 8:54 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-385-36139-2. $60.

Crash: Visions, Book 1. By Lisa McMann. 5 cassettes or 5 CDs. 5:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4342-2, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4341-5. $51.75.

Dualed. By Elsie Chapman. 8 CDs. 9:59 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-385-36110-1. $44.

Eleanor and Park. By Rainbow Rowell. 7 CDs. 8:57 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-385-36828-5. $50.

Fitz: A Father, a Son, and a Gun. By Mick Cochrane. 4 cassettes or 4 CDs. 4:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4407-7601-4, CD: ISBN978-1-4703-4363-7. $46.75.

Game Changers #2: Play Makers. By Mike Lupica. 4 CDs. 4:38 hrs. Scholastic Audiobooks. 2013. ISBN 978-0-545-58086-1. $44.99.

Gates of Paradise: A Blue Bloods Novel. By Melissa de la Cruz. 7 cassettes or 7 CDs. 8:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-4703-4248-7, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4247-0. $77.75.

The Gift. By Andrea J. Buchanan. 8 CDs. 9:12 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4692-8089-9. $49.97.

Grandpa Green. By Lane Smith. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-3847-3, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-3846-6. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-1-5964-3607-7: $16.99.

Hattie Ever After. By Kirby Larson. 5 CDs. 5:46 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-449-01526-1. $30.

Hooray for Anna Hibiscus! By Atinuke. cassette or CD. 1 hr. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4618-3441-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4618-3442-7. $15.75.

Level 2: Memory Chronicles. By Lenore Appelhans. 7 CDs. 8:20 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. byListening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-307-94269-2. $45.

Never Say Die. By Will Hobbs. 4 cassettes or 4 CDs. 2 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2250-2, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2249-6. $46.75.

Reached: Matched Trilogy, Book 3. By Ally Condie. 11 CDs. 13:15 hrs. Penguin Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-61176-102-3. $29.95.

Rebel Heart: Dust Lands, Book 2. By Moira Young. 10 cassettes or 10 CDs.11:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2011.cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4358-3, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4357-6: $108.75.

Sanctum: Guards of the Shadowlands, Book 1. By Sarah Fine. 9 CDs. 10:48 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4692-1033-9. $49.97.

The Savage Fortress. By Sarwat Chadda. 7 CDs. 8:08 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-385-36380-8. $50.

Sever: The Chemical Garden, Book 3. By Lauren DeStefano. 9 cassettes or 9 CDs. 10:30 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN: 978-1-4561-2052-8, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4362-0. $77.75.

Strands of Bronze and Gold. By Jane Nickerson. 10 CDs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. by Listening Library/Books on Tape. 2012. ISBN 978-0-385-36125-5. $55.

Tallulah’s Solo. By Marilyn Singer. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4182-4, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4181-7. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-5473-3004-4: $16.99.

Touch of Frost: Mythos Academy, Book 1. By Jennifer Estep. 8 CDs. 9:52 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2013. ISBN 978-1-4692-8387-6. $69.97.

The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop. By Kate Saunders. 6 CDs. 6:52 hrs. Prod. by Listening Library. Dist. byListening Library/Books on Tape. 2013. ISBN 978-0-385-36824-7. $45.

Witch World. By Christopher Pike. 11 cassettes or 11 CDs. 13:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4350-7, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4349-1. $108.75.

Yours Truly, Lucy B. Parker: For Better or for Worse. By Robin Palmer. 5 CDs. 5:14 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2013.ISBN 978-1-4558-5880-4. $49.97.

Mathematics

Zero the Hero. By Joan Holub. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4287-6, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4286-9. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 78-0-8050-9384-1: $16.99.

Music

Another Bunch of Electric Bananas. Performed by Mr. Billy. CD. approx. 32 min. Prod. by Bounce House Records/Mr. Billy. Dist. by AV Café. 2012. ISBN unavail. $15.

Dance to the Weather. Performed by Natural Cloud Cover Bands. CD. 34:50 min. Natural Cloud Cover. 2012.ISBN unavail. $15.

Don’t Play with Your Food. Performed by Dave Rudolf. CD. 47:46 min. AV Café. 2012. ISBN unavail. $11.

KidQuake! Performed by The Not-Its! CD. approx.. 27 min. with lyrics. Wearethenot-its.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $12.

Ms. Janis’ Music 4 Me!, Vol. 2: Tumbling Fun. Performed by Janis McDonald. CD. approx. 14:30 min.msjanis.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $12.98.

Today I Was a Cat. Performed by Mary Kaye. CD. 32 min. CDBaby.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $14.

Where Do You Want to Go Today? Performed by Francie and Pat Kelley. CD. approx. 33 min. Prod. by Artsong Music. Dist. by Franciekelley.com. 2013. ISBN unavail. $12.99.

Social Studies

Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850. By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. 3 CDs. 3:35 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-5797-5. $49.97.

Marching to the Mountaintop: How Poverty, Labor Fights, and Civil Rights Set the Stage for Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Hours. By Ann Bausum. 2 cassettes or 2 CDs. 2 hrs. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4185-5, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4184-8. $25.75

Music of the War of 1812. 2 CDs. range:  46:32-57:51 min. Colonial Music Institute.  ISBN unavail. $15. 

Paiute Princess: The Story of Sarah Winnemucca. By Deborah Kogan Ray. cassette or CD. 1 hr. Recorded Books. 2013. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-4225-8, DVD: ISBN 978-1-4703-4224-1. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-3743-9837-2: $17.99.

Miss Maple’s Seeds (Wheeler)
©2013 by Eliza Wheeler

BOYD, Lizi. Inside Outside. illus. by author. 40p. Chronicle. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0644-1. LC 2012015430.

PreS-Gr 2–This wordless book follows a boy through the seasons as he plays with his pets and finds fun things to do both inside and outside. Each page features several die cuts; the inside pages offer glimpses from the windows of the outdoor world, the outside pages offer peeks in. Frequently the glimpses inside turn out to be pictures the boy has drawn of the day’s adventures. The gouache illustrations are chock-full of homey details that children will enjoy poring over. The cat is snoozing in a mixing bowl, the dog is sipping from a watering can, small birds are cavorting in rain puddles. Each of the inside pages offers the opportunity to search for two little white mice sharing in the activities. Perused independently or shared one-on-one, this lovely concept book succeeds on multiple levels.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

CHENG, Andrea. The Year of the Baby. illus. by Patrice Barton. 160p. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-547-91067-3; ebook $15.99. ISBN 978-0-544-03568-3.

Gr 1-4–In this sequel to The Year of the Book (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), Anna Wang’s parents have adopted a toddler from China. Kaylee’s failure to thrive is being monitored by an unsupportive doctor, and Anna’s mother is frantic about the child’s low weight and resistance to food. Even Grandma Wang’s herbs do not entice her to eat. Meanwhile, Anna cannot think of an original science project that “really matters” until she and her Chinese friend Camille stumble upon something. As Camille sings a Chinese song, Kaylee seems mesmerized and eats more than usual. Anna and her project partners design a controlled experiment that proves their hypothesis: listening to songs, especially those in Chinese, encourages Kaylee to eat. And indeed, she gains nearly a pound. The experiment is entered in the town-wide science fair. Anna learns to appreciate the wisdom of Camille, who struggles academically but possesses a serene emotional intelligence. This book deals deftly with a range of thorny adoption- and ethnic-stereotyping issues, such as the abandonment of female Chinese infants and the assumption that all Asians are gifted students, and it has special meaning for families touched by adoption. The delicate black-and-white drawings scattered throughout the straightforward text help make this a good choice for readers new to chapter books, and it will appeal to fluent readers looking for a compelling story.–Deborah Vose, Highlands Elementary School, Braintree, MA

ELLIOT, David. Henry’s Map. illus. by author. 40p. Philomel. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-16072-1.

PreS-Gr 2–Henry likes to keep things organized, so he decides to make a map of the farm. As he travels the barnyard drawing his own pigsty, the woolshed and sheep, the chicken coop, and the stables, the other animals are excited by his project and join him. Map finished, the piglet leads them proudly up the hill to compare the map to the farm itself–only to find that none of the animals are where they are supposed to be. “Where did we go?” they ask. They dash back to check each location, and when they arrive, they are relieved to find everyone in the right place. With appealing characters and gentle humor, this book will be a hit at storytime, or as an introduction to mapping lessons. Elliot’s squiggly watercolor and pencil illustrations make clever use of white space, with the pictures expanding as the confusion of the story does and receding as Henry’s world becomes orderly once again.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

FOGLIANO, Julie. If You Want to See a Whale. illus. by Erin E. Stead. 32p. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-731-9. LC 2012012988.

PreS-Gr 2–A poetic text advises children what to do (and not do) if they want to see a whale, as the illustrations show a boy, a dog, and a bird trying out the actions suggested: “…if you want to see a whale,/you will need a not-so-comfy chair/and a not-so-cozy blanket/because sleeping eyes can’t watch for whales…” and “…if you want to see a whale/you shouldn’t watch the clouds/…because if you start to look straight up/you might just miss a whale.” An imaginative effort, the book uses linoleum printing techniques and pencil for the softly colored illustrations. It is also designed with a great deal of white space, which deftly evokes the mystery and vastness of the sea. A unique and lovely offering that will appeal to sensitive and patient children.–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

GREY, Mini. Toys in Space. illus. by author. 32p. Knopf. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97812-7; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97815-8.

K-Gr 2–In this wonderfully offbeat story-within-a-story, a little boy forgets his toys in the garden. Afraid of spending the night outside, the toys ask WonderDoll, leader of the bunch, to tell them a tale as a distraction. WonderDoll spins an exciting yarn about the Hoctopize, an alien who collects abandoned toys aboard his ship while searching for his own lost Cuddles. When the alien beams up WonderDoll and company, captivating adventures commence. The toys help the Hoctopize realize that his captives should be returned home and throw him a party to cheer him up, which lasts until dawn. Clever layouts of the cartoonish but highly expressive illustrations divide the action of WonderDoll’s story from the toys’ reactions. While WonderDoll’s narrative occupies the larger part of the spreads, the toys’ hilarious speech-balloon commentary is relegated to a smaller sidebar. This picture book is for the of Grey’s previous quirky stories or other animate toy adventures such as the longer Emily Jenkins’s Toys Go Out (Random, 2006) or Michael Rosen’s Red Ted and the Lost Things (Candlewick, 2009).–Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

RINKER, Sherri Duskey. Steam Train, Dream Train. illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. 40p. Chronicle. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0920-6. LC 2012030942.

PreS-K–From out of the midnight darkness comes a mighty train heading to Night Falls station.With clouds of steam hissing from the smokestack and brakes squealing, it comes to a stop and the animal crew jumps out, ready to load up the cars with freight. A rambunctious bunch of monkeys fills the boxcar with toys while kangaroos toss balls into the open-topped hopper car. Purple elephants use their trunks to fill the tanker cars with different colored paints as a polar bear and penguin put giant ice-cream sundaes in the reefer car. After such a hard night’s work, the crew beds down on the flatbed car, ready for the steam engine to fire up and take them to dreamland. The strength of this book is in the striking spreads in wax oil pastel. A vast night sky is filled with sparkly stars and large billowing clouds that frame the oncoming train traveling through a realistically silhouetted landscape, while the animal crew looks strangely toylike, as though made of plush and plastic. It is not until the final spread that this incongruous bunch, and this whole dream, is explained by a nighttime look at a young train lover’s bedroom. The beginning and end of the book are filled with expressive and enjoyable railroad sounds, yet the rhyming text loses a bit of steam in the middle, describing but not always enhancing the activity depicted in the illustrations. Still, this is a book that will, like its predecessor, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Chronicle, 2011), be embraced as a nighttime standard, particularly among train lovers everywhere.–Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

RAPOSO, Joe. Sing. illus. by Tom Lichtenheld. 40p. w/CD. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9071-0.

K-Gr 1–A visual interpretation of the uplifting, popular song. Two small birds leave their nest one by one with a colorful warbled note, but as the last bird tries to follow, no sound is forthcoming despite a discouraged second try. “Sing, sing a song….” A boy’s melody reaches the nest and startles a weak first tweet. Shaking him out of the nest, the tune soars, and the fledgling finds its voice, following musical notes to reach the other two and join their notes together…“Sing a Song!” The text alongside its Spanish translation accompanies a historical note by Raposo’s son that explains his father’s immigrant story and the roots of the song. Original handwritten notes, lyrics, and chords of “Canta-Sing” are included. Art in watercolor, ink, pastels, and colored pencils balances text in a simple setting and accentuates the power of the music. For young and old, the text recalls a theme of courage and self-acceptance with easy-to-follow imagery. Everyone will want to sing along.–Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

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The following titles are reviewed in the June print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

Fiction

ANGLEBERGER, Tom. Crankee Doodle. illus. by Cece Bell. 32p. Clarion. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-81854-2.

ASHMAN, Linda. Peace, Baby. illus. by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. 32p. Chronicle. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0613-7. LC 2012002641.

ASQUITH, Ros. It’s Not Fairy. illus. by author. 28p. Frances Lincoln. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-84780-236-1.

BANCROFT, Greg. Betsy’s Day at the Game. illus. by Katherine Blackmore. 40p. Scarletta Press. 2013. pap. $13.95. ISBN 978-1-938063-01-5; ebook $13.95. ISBN 978-1-938063-02-2. LC 2012030410.

BENNETT, Kelly. Vampire Baby. illus. by Paul Meisel. 32p. Candlewick. July 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4691-2. LC 2012943658.

BERRY, Lynne. What Floats in a Moat? illus. by Matthew Cordell. 48p. S & S. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9763-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8131-2. LC 201002844.

BOLDT, Mike. 123 versus ABC. illus. by author. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210299-7.

BOWLES, Paula. What Goes Up. illus. by author. 32p. Tiger Tales. 2013. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-1-58925-119-9.

BRANFORD, Anna. Violet Mackerel’s Natural Habitat. illus. by Elanna Allen. 112p. S & S/Atheneum. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3594-0; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3595-7; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3596-4.

BRAUN, Sebastien. Digger and Tom! illus. by author. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207752-3.

CALI, Davide. The Great House Hunt. illus. by Marc Boutavant. 32p. Tate. 2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-84976-100-0.

CALLEN, Sharon. Boris Keeps Fit. illus. by Susy Boyer. 20p. (Fiction Readers Series). Teacher Created Materials. July 2013. PLB $22.65. ISBN 978-14807-1148-8; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4333-5492-2.

CALLEN, Sharon. Maddy’s Mad Hair Day. 12p. illus. by Annie White. ISBN 978-1-4807-1129-7; ISBN 978-1-4333-5450-2.
––––. My Life as a Bee. 20p. illus. by Holli Conger. ISBN 978-1-4807-1139-6; ISBN 978-1-4333-5483-0.

REID, James. Edward the Explorer. 12p. illus. by Jack Hughes. ISBN 978-1-4807-1134-1; ISBN 978-1-4333-5455-7.
ea vol: (Fiction Readers Series). Teacher Created Materials. July 2013. PLB $22.65; pap. $4.99.

CATE, Marijke Ten. Who Has the Biggest Bottom? tr. from Dutch. illus. by author. 32p. Lemniscaat. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-935954-25-5.

CHRISTELOW, Eileen. Five Little Monkeys Trick-or-Treat. illus. by author. 40p. Clarion. Aug. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-85893-7. LC 2012025208.

CHURCH, Caroline Jayne. Ruff!: And the Wonderfully Amazing Busy Day. illus. by author. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201498-6.

COH, Smiljana. Princesses on the Run. illus. by author. 32p. Running Pr./Kids. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7624-4612-4. LC 2012946109.

COOPER, Floyd. Max and the Tag-Along Moon. illus. by author. 32p. Philomel. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-23342-5. LC 2011049784.

COWELL, Cressida. Cheer Up Your Teddy Bear, Emily Brown! illus. by Neal Layton. 32p. Trafalgar Square. 2013. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-1-4083-0849-3.

CRONIN, Doreen. Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat. illus. by Betsy Lewin. 40p. S & S/Atheneum. Aug. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6553-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6554-1. LC 2012014537.

CROW, Kristyn. Zombelina. illus. by Molly Idle. 32p. Walker. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-2803-6; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-8027-2804-3. LC 2012027333.

DELACRE, Lulu. How Far Do You Love Me? illus. by author. 32p. map. Lee & Low. June 2013. Tr $11.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-882-7. LC 2012027278.

DRISCOLL, Laura. Count Off, Squeak Scouts! ISBN 978-1-57565-524-6; ISBN 978-1-57565-525-3; ISBN 978-1-57565-526-0. LC 2012025476.

MAY, Eleanor. Albert’s Bigger Than Big Idea. ISBN 978-1-57565-521-5; ISBN 978-1-57565-522-2; ISBN 978-1-57565-523-9. LC 2012025474.
––––.Mice on Ice. ISBN 978-1-57565-527-7; ISBN 978-1-57565-528-4; ISBN 978-1-57565-529-1. LC 2012029505.
ea vol: illus. by Deborah Melmon. 32p. (Mouse Math Series). Kane Press. 2013. PLB $22.60; pap. $7.95; ebook $16.95.

DUDLEY, Rebecca. Hank Finds an Egg. illus. by author. 40p. Peter Pauper Press. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4413-1158-0.

DUMONT, Jean-François. The Chickens Build a Wall. tr. from French. illus. by author. 33p. Eerdmans. 2013. RTE $16. ISBN 978-0-8028-5422-3. LC 2012038991.

FAGAN, Cary. Oy Feh So? illus. by Gary Clement. 40p. Groundwood/House of Anansi. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-148-9.

FARBER, E. S. Seagulls Don’t Eat Pickles. Bk. 1. illus. by Jason Beene. 160p. (Fish Finelli Series). Chronicle. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0820-9.

FEDER, Sandra V. Daisy’s Defining Day. Bk. 2. illus. by Susan Mitchell. 96p. (Daisy Series). glossary. Kids Can. 2013. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-55453-780-8.

FEENEY, Tatyana. Little Owl’s Orange Scarf. illus. by author. 32p. Knopf. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-449-81411-6; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-449-81412-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-449-81413-0.

FOX, Tamar. No Baths at Camp. illus. by Natalia Vasquez. 32p. Kar-Ben. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-8120-4; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-8121-1; ebook $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0989-7. LC 2012009498.

FREEDMAN, Deborah. The Story of Fish & Snail. illus. by author. 40p. Viking. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78489-9. LC 2012030058.

GERMEIN, Katrina. My Dad Thinks He’s Funny. illus. by Tom Jellett. 32p. Candlewick. 2013. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6522-7. LC 2012947248.

GRAVETT, Emily. Again! illus. by author. 32p. S & S. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5231-2. LC 2012003322.

GREENE, Rhonda Gowler. No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou. illus. by Brian Ajhar. 40p. Sleeping Bear. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-796-2.

GROGAN, John with Natalie Engle.Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt. illus. by Richard Cowdrey. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. RTE $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212524-8.

GUEST, Elissa Haden. Bella’s Rules. illus. by Abigail Halpin. 32p. Dial. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3393-0. LC 2012021516.

GUTCH, Michael. Sticky, Sticky, Stuck! illus. by Steve Björkman. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199818-8.

HAAS, Jessie. Bramble and Maggie: Give and Take. illus. by Alison Friend. 48p. Candlewick. 2013. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5021-6. LC 2012942618.

HAHN, Daniel. Happiness Is a Watermelon on Your Head. tr. from Portuguese. illus. by Stella Dreis. 40p. Trafalgar Square. June 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-907912-05-4.

HALE, Bruce. Clark the Shark. illus. by Guy Francis. 32p. HarperCollins/Harper. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219226-4; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211102-9. LC 2012030234.

HEOS, Bridget. Mustache Baby. illus. by Joy Ang. 40p. Clarion. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-77357-5. LC 2012008155.

HORÁČEK, Petr. Puffin Peter. illus. by author. 40p. Candlewick. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6572-2. LC 2012942657.

HOROWITZ, David. Twenty-six Pirates: An Alphabet Book. illus. by author. 32p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25777-3. LC 2011023866.

HORVATH, James. Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail. illus. by author. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-218964-6.

HOURAN, Lori Haskins. Diary of a Worm: Teacher’s Pet. illus. by John Nez. 32p. (I Can Read! Series). HarperCollins/Harper. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208705-8; pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-208704-1.

HUGET, Jennifer LaRue. The Beginner’s Guide to Running Away from Home. illus. by Red Nose Studio. 40p. Random/Schwartz & Wade. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86739-2; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96739-9; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98784-7. LC 2011048584.

JAMIESON, Victoria. Pest in Show. illus. by author. 32p. Dial. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3701-3. LC 2012001410.

JANNI, Rebecca. Every Cowgirl Goes to School. illus. by Lynne Avril. 32p. Dial. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3937-6. LC 2012021666.

JENKINS, Celeste. The Lost (and Found) Balloon. illus. by Maria Bogade. 32p. S & S/Aladdin. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6697-5; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6699-9.

JENNEWEIN, Lenore. Chick-o-Saurus Rex. illus. by Daniel Jennewein. 32p. S & S. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5186-5; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5189-6. LC 2012019834.

KESSLER, Liz. Poppy the Pirate Dog. illus. by Mike Phillips. 64p. Candlewick. Aug. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6569-2. LC 2012947713.

KIMMEL, Eric A. Little Red Hot. illus. by Laura Huliska-Beith. 32p. Amazon. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1638-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-6638-2.

KLEVEN, Elisa. Glasswings: A Butterfly’s Story. illus. by author. 32p. Dial. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3742-6. LC 2012017539.

KONO, Erin Eitter. Caterina and the Perfect Party. illus. by author. 32p. Dial. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3902-4. LC 2012022175.

LAZAR, Tara. The Monstore. illus. by James Burks. 32p. S & S/Aladdin. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2017-5; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4648-9. LC 2010044846.

LUDWIG, Sabine. The Story of the Little Piggy Who Couldn’t Say No. tr. from German. illus. by Sabine Wilharm. 32p. Sky Pony. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-62087-684-8.

MACDONALD, Alan. Fangs! ISBN 978-1-43424601-1; ISBN 978-1-43424267-9.
––––. Germs! ISBN 978-1-4342-4600-4; ISBN 978-1-4342-4266-2.
ea vol: illus. by David Roberts. 112p. (Dirty Bertie Series). Capstone. 2013. PLB $23.99; pap. $4.95.

MCGHEE, Alison. The Case of the Missing Donut. illus. by Isabel Roxas. 32p. Dial. July 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3925-3. LC 2012017460.

MACK, Jeff. The Things I Can Do. illus. by author. 32p. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-675-6. LC 2012012990.

MCMANIS, Margaret. Olé! Cinco De Mayo! illus. by David Harrington. 32p. glossary. Pelican. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1754-8. LC 2012025142.

MCNAMARA, Margaret. The Apple Orchard Riddle. illus. by G. Brian Karas. 40p. Random/Schwartz & Wade. July 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84744-8; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-95744-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98783-0. LC 2011008742.

MAHY, Margaret. Mister Whistler. illus. by Gavin Bishop. 32p. Gecko Press. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-877467-91-2.

MARTINS, Isabel Minhós. My Neighbor Is a Dog. tr. from Portuguese by John Herring. illus. by Madalena Matoso. 32p. Owlkids. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-926973-68-5. LC 2012943001.

MEINDERTS, Koos. On My Street. tr. from Dutch. illus. by Annette Fienieg. 32p. Lemniscaat. 2013. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-1-9359-5424-8.

MORALES, Yuyi. Niño Wrestles the World. illus. by author. 40p. glossary. Roaring Brook/Neal Porter. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-604-6. LC 2012012989.

MORTIMER, Rachael. Red Riding Hood and the Sweet Little Wolf. illus. by Liz Pichon. 32p. Tiger Tales. 2013. RTE $12.95. ISBN 978-1-58925-117-5.

MOSER, Lisa. Squirrel’s Fun Day. illus. by Valeri Gorbachev. 48p. Candlewick. June 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5726-0. LC 2012943653.

MURGUIA, Bethanie Deeney. Zoe’s Room (No Sisters Allowed). illus. by author. 40p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-45781-1. LC 2012016796.

MURRAY, Alison. Little Mouse. illus. by author. 32p. Hyperion/Disney. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4330-7. LC 2012006147.

MURRAY, Laura. The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck. illus. by Mike Lowery. 32p. Putnam. June 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25779-7. LC 2012029867.

NEUBECKER, Robert. Linus the Vegetarian T. Rex. illus. by author. 40p. S & S/Beach Lane. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8512-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8187-9. LC 2012018190.

OLIVAS, John D. Endeavour’s Long Journey: Celebrating 19 Years of Space Exploration. illus. by Gayle Garner Roski. 36p. glossary. photos. East West. 2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-0-9856237-2-2. LC 2012040567.

O’NEILL, Catharine. Annie and Simon: The Sneeze and Other Stories. illus. by author. 64p. Candlewick. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4921-0. LC 2011046618.

O’RYAN, Ray. Hello, Nebulon! Bk. 1. ISBN 978-1-4424-5387-6; ISBN 978-1-4424-5386-9; ISBN 978-1-4424-5388-3. LC 2011052777.
––––. Journey to Juno. Bk. 2. ISBN 978-1-4424-5391-3; ISBN 978-1-4424-5390-6; ISBN 978-1-4424-5392-0. LC 2012005691.
ea vol: illus. by Colin Jack. 128p. (Galaxy Zack Series). S & S/Little Simon. 2013. Tr $15.99; pap. $4.99; ebook $4.99.

PACKARD, Mary. Little Chipmunk’s Wiggly, Wobbly Tooth. ISBN 978-1-4027-7231-3. LC 2012034704.
––––. Little Raccoon Learns to Share. ISBN 978-1-4027-7230-6. LC 2012034703.
ea vol: illus. by Lisa McCue. 24p. Sterling. 2013. Tr $7.95.

PAUL, Ruth. Hedgehog’s Magic Tricks. illus. by author. 32p. Candlewick. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6385-8. LC 2012943648.

PEPPA PIG AND THE BUSY DAY AT SCHOOL.32p. Candlewick. June 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6525-8. LC 2012947254.

PRELLER, James. A Pirate’s Guide to Recess. illus. by Greg Ruth. 40p. glossary. Feiwel & Friends. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00515-1.

PURCELL, Rebecca. Super Chicken. illus. by author. 14p. Scholastic/Cartwheel. 2013. BD $7.99. ISBN 978-0-545-45170-3.

RACTLIFFE, Justin. Dads: A Field Guide. illus. by Cathie Glassby. 32p. Trafalgar Square. June 2013. PLB $16.99. ISBN 978-1-74275-549-6.

REINHARDT, Dana. Odessa Again. illus. by Susan Regan. 208p. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73956-6; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90793-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89788-7. LC 2012008231.

REYNOLDS, Alison. A Year with Marmalade. illus. by Heath McKenzie. 40p. S & S/Little Simon. July 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8105-3.

ROBBERECHT, Thierry. Chick’s Works of Art. tr. from Dutch. illus. by Loufane. 30p. Clavis. 2013. RTE $15.95. ISBN 978-1-60537-138-2.

ROCKWELL, Anne. Truck Stop. illus. by Melissa Iwai. 40p. Viking. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-06261-4. LC 2012029239.

ROSE, Deborah Lee. Someone’s Sleepy. illus. by Dan Andreasen. 32p. Abrams. 2013. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0539-7. LC 2012015619.

RYAN, Pam Muñoz. School Rules. illus. by Edwin Fotheringham. 40p. (Tony Baloney Series). Scholastic. July 2013. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-48166-3.

SATTLER, Jennifer. Chick ’n’ Pug Meet The Dude. illus. by author. 32p. Bloomsbury. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-600-3; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-1-59990-760-4. LC 2012030502.

SCHEFFLER, Axel. Pip and Posy: The Big Balloon. illus. by author. 24p. (Pip and Posy Series). Candlewick/Nosy Crow. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6372-8. LC 2012943651.

SCHOENE, Kerstin. Monsters Aren’t Real. tr. from German. illus. by author. 44p. Kane Miller. 2012. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-1-61067-073-9. LC 2011926825.

SELFORS, Suzanne. The Sasquatch Escape. Bk. 1. illus. by Dan Santat. 224p. (The Imaginary Veterinary Series). Little, Brown. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20934-2. LC 2012032531.

SRINIVASAN, Divya. Octopus Alone. illus. by author. 40p. Viking. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78515-5. LC 2012029678.

TODOROV, Boriana. Oliver’s Tantrums. illus. by Vladimir Todorov. 34p. Simply Read Books. 2013. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-897476-67-3.

TRENT, Shanda. Farmer’s Market Day. illus. by Jane Dippold. 32p. Tiger Tales. 2013. RTE $12.95. ISBN 978-1-58925-115-1.

TUCK, Pamela M. As Fast as Words Could Fly. illus. by Eric Velasquez. 40p. Lee & Low. 2013. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-348-8. LC 2012030983.

TULLET, Hervé. I Am Blop! illus. by author. 110p. Phaidon. 2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-0-7148-6533-1.

VERDICK, Elizabeth. Peep Leap. illus. by John Bendall-Brunello. 32p. Amazon. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1640-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 9781477866405.

WELLINGTON, Monica. Colors for Zena. illus. by author. 32p. Dial. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3743-3. LC 2012017537.

WHEELER, Eliza. Miss Maple’s Seeds. illus. by author. 32p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25792-6.

WRIGHT, Maureen. Barnyard Fun. illus. by Paul Rátz de Tagyos. 32p. Amazon. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1643-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-6643-6.

YANKOVIC, Al. My New Teacher and Me! illus. by Wes Hargis. 40p. HarperCollins/Harper. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219203-5.

YOUNG, Amy. Don’t Eat the Baby! illus. by author. 32p. Viking. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78513-1.

ZULLO, Germano. Line 135. tr. from French. illus. by Albertine. 44p. Chronicle. 2013. RTE $18.95. ISBN 978-1-4521-1934-2.

Nonfiction

BASTIANICH, Lidia. Nonna’s Birthday Surprise. illus. by Renée Graef. 56p. (Lidia’s Family Kitchen Series). Running Pr./Kids. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-7624-4655-1. LC 2012944237.

BERKES, Marianne. What’s in the Garden? illus. by Cris Arbo. 32p. further reading. glossary. photos. websites. Dawn. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-58469-189-1. LC 2012024245.

BLOBAUM, Cindy. Explore Night Science!: With 25 Great Projects. illus. by Bryan Stone. 96p. charts. further reading. glossary. index. websites. Nomad. 2012. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-61930-156-6.

CHIGER, Arielle. 20 Fun Facts About Beetles. ISBN 978-1-4339-8225-5; ISBN 978-1-4339-8228-6; ISBN 978-1-4339-8226-2. LC 2012020377.

MALEY, Adrienne Houk. 20 Fun Facts About Praying Mantises. ISBN 978-1-4339-8240-8; ISBN 978-1-4339-8243-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-8241-5.

NELSON, Maria. 20 Fun Facts About Dragonflies. ISBN 978-1-4339-8235-4; ISBN 978-1-4339-8238-5; ISBN 978-1-4339-8236-1. LC 2012021207.

NIVER, Heather Moore. 20 Fun Facts About Stick Bugs. ISBN 978-1-4339-8251-4; ISBN 978-1-4339-8254-5; ISBN 978-1-4339-8252-1.
ea vol: 32p. (Fun Fact File: Bugs! Series). charts. diags. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Gareth Stevens. 2013. PLB $25.25; pap. $10.25; ebook $25.25.

CRAWFORD, Laura. Benjamin Franklin from A to Z. illus. by Judith Hierstein. 32p. chron. Pelican. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1713-5; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1714-2. LC 2012016169.

DICKINSON, Gill. Crafts for Kids. 144p. (The Craft Library Series). diags. index. photos. Hamlyn. 2013. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-0-60062-514-8.

GOLDISH, Meish. Animal Control Officers to the Rescue. ISBN 978-1-61772-281-3; ISBN 978-1-61772-796-2. LC 2012033460.
–––––.Wildlife Rehabilitators to the Rescue. ISBN 978-1-61772-748-1; ISBN 978-1-61772-797-9. LC 2012034288.
ea vol: 32p. (The Work of Heroes: First Responders in Action Series). Bibliog. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Bearport. 2013. PLB $25.27; ebook $25.27.

GROSSINGER, Tania. Jackie and Me: A Very Special Friendship. illus. by Charles George Esperanza. 32p. Sky Pony. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-62087-683-1.

HIMMELMAN, John. Noisy Bug Sing-Along. illus. by author. 32p. Dawn. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-58469-191-4; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-1-58469-192-1. LC 2012024253.

KRALOVANSKY, Susan Holt. There Was a Tall Texan Who Swallowed a Flea. illus. by Deborah Ousley Kadair. 32p. Pelican. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1717-3; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1718-0. LC 2012024755.

LAWLER, Janet. Ocean Counting. 32p. (National Geographic Little Kids: Look & Learn Series). further reading. glossary. maps. websites. National Geographic. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4263-1116-1; PLB $25.90. ISBN 978-1-4263-1117-8.

LOEB, Lisa. Lisa Loeb’s Songs for Movin’ & Shakin’: The Air Band Song and Other Toe-Tapping Tunes. illus. by Ryan O’Rourke. 24p. w/CD. Sterling. 2013. PLB $14.95. ISBN 978-1-4027-6916-0. LC 2012014293.

MACDONALD, Margaret Read. Give Up, Gecko!: A Folktale from Uganda. illus. by Deborah Melmon. 32p. Amazon. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1635-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-6635-1.

MARKLE, Sandra. Bats: Biggest! Littlest! 32p. diags. further reading. glossary. maps. photos. websites. Boyds Mills. 2013. RTE $16.95. ISBN 978-1-59078-952-0. LC 2012947937.

OWEN, Ruth. Science and Craft Projects with Plants and Seeds. ISBN 978-1-4777-0247-5; ISBN 978-1-4777-0265-9. LC 2012033427.
––––. Science and Craft Projects with Rocks and Soil. ISBN 978-1-4777-0246-8; ISBN 978-1-4777-0264-2.
––––. Science and Craft Projects with Trees and Leaves. ISBN 978-1-4777-0248-2; ISBN 978-1-4777-0266-6.
––––. Science and Craft Projects with Wildlife. ISBN 978-1-4777-0243-7; ISBN 978-1-4777-0261-1. LC 2012026381.
ea vol: 32p. (Get Crafty Outdoors Series). diags. further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2013. PLB $26.50; ebook $26.50.

QUINLAN, Julia J. Dingoes. ISBN 978-1-4488-9675-2; ISBN 978-1-4488-9808-4; ISBN 978-1-4488-9914-2. LC 2012029107.
––––. Honey Badgers. ISBN 978-1-4488-9671-4; ISBN 978-1-4488-9800-8; ISBN 978-1-4488-9910-4. LC 2012026344.
––––. Hyenas. ISBN 978-1-4488-9673-8; ISBN 978-1-4488-9804-6; ISBN 978-1-4488-9912-8. LC 2012027663.
––––. Tasmanian Devils. ISBN 978-1-4488-9674-5; ISBN 978-1-4488-9806-0; ISBN 978-1-4488-9913-5.
––––. Wild Boars. ISBN 978-1-4488-9676-9; ISBN 978-1-4488-9810-7; ISBN 978-1-4488-9915-9.
––––. Wolverines. ISBN 978-1-4488-9672-1; ISBN 978-1-4488-9802-2; ISBN 978-1-4488-9911-1. LC 2012027023.
ea vol: 24p. glossary. index. photos. websites. (Ferocious Fighting Animals Series). Rosen/PowerKids Pr. 2013. PLB $22.60; pap. $8.25; ebook $22.60.

ROBINSON, Sharon. Jackie Robinson: American Hero. 48p. glossary. photos. Scholastic. 2013. pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-545-54006-3; RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-56915-6. LC 2012046058.

SEAL, Julia. Little Red Riding Hood. illus. by author. 12p. Barron’s. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7641-6598-6. LC 2012948934.

SIMON, Seymour. Coral Reefs. 32p. glossary. index. photos. websites. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-191495-9; pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-06-191496-6. LC 2012019094.

SMITH, Charles R. Jr. I Am the World. 48p. glossary. S & S/Atheneum. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2302-2.

SMITH, Danna. Balloon Trees. illus. by Laurie Allen Klein. 32p. Sylvan Dell. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-60718-612-0; pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-60718-624-3. LC 2012030119.

SOLOMON, Sharon K. Christopher Newport: Jamestown Explorer. illus. by Dan Bridy. 32p. chron. glossary. Pelican. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1752-4; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4556-1753-1. LC 2012041933.

VANDERWATER, Amy Ludwig. Forest Has a Song. illus. by Robbin Gourley. 32p. Clarion. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-0-618-84349-7. LC 2011052433.

WINTER, Jeanette. Henri’s Scissors. illus. by author. 40p. S & S/Beach Lane. Aug. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6484-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6485-8. LC 2012033171.

WU, Faye-Lynn. My First Book of Chinese Words: An ABC Rhyming Book. illus. by Aya Padrón. 32p. websites. Tuttle. 2013. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-0-8048-4367-6. LC 2012029068.

Gr 4-6–Fifth grade has been tough for Robbie Darko, an aspiring illusionist who can’t perform even the simplest trick without accidentally setting things on fire. His dad constantly travels for work, his mom tries to help make ends meet with a demanding new job, his teachers are fed up with his havoc-wreaking magic tricks, and his little brother is a huge pain. To make matters worse, Robbie is asked to give up his bedroom to eccentric and unrelentingly cantankerous Grandma Melvyn (actually, his great-great-aunt). Robbie eventually learns that Grandma Melvyn was once a celebrated magician. With the help of his affable friend Cat, he slowly earns Grandma’s approval and, ultimately, her trust and affection. She not only coaches Robbie in showmanship and sleight of hand, but she also guides him down the path to self-confidence and self-discipline. Robbie’s maturation is ultimately tested when Grandma Melvyn makes a final trip to the hospital. Beaty develops well-rounded main and supporting characters with genuine flaws and emotions, skillfully building their relationships. Though the protagonist’s flashback narration occasionally meanders, it has an authentic middle-grade voice that will have readers laughing out loud. The moments where Robbie takes responsibility for his mistakes and shows vulnerability will serve as positive examples for young audiences. Satisfying and enjoyable, Dorko will engage reluctant and voracious readers alike.–Elly Schook, Jamieson Elementary School, Chicago

 BLACK, Holly. Doll Bones. illus. by Eliza Wheeler. 256p. S & S/McElderry. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-6398-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-7487-1. LC 2012018299.

Gr 4-7–At 12 years old, lifelong friends Zach, Poppy, and Alice are ferociously clinging to their childhoods. Using old Barbies, pirate action figures, dolls from Good Will, and their imaginations, they have created an exciting world of characters in an elaborate game. Figuring heavily in their plotline is the Queen, an antique doll of bone china that belongs to Poppy’s mother and is strictly off-limits to the kids. She’s also incredibly creepy. When Zach’s dad throws away his action figures, the boy is so devastated that he ends the game abruptly, leaving the girls hurt and confused. Shortly thereafter, Poppy reveals that the Queen is made of the bones of a dead girl named Eleanor who has been communicating with her at night. The doll appears to be filled with Eleanor’s ashes, and she has promised Poppy that she will make their lives miserable if they don’t journey to Ohio, find her grave, and bury her properly. After much persuading, Zach and Alice agree to the journey. The Queen gets scarier and scarier as unexplained events begin to occur along the way. Black has created protagonists who readers will care about, and amusing secondary characters, like a pink-haired librarian and a crazy bus passenger who seems to be able to see Eleanor. This novel is a chilling ghost story, a gripping adventure, and a heartwarming look at the often-painful pull of adulthood. Black-and-white illustrations actually tone down the scare factor a little, making this a perfect starter story for budding horror fans.–Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX

 GOODMAN, Shawn. Kindness for Weakness. 272p. Delacorte. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74324-2; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99102-8; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-98207-0.

Gr 8 Up–In this gut-wrenching narrative of loneliness and anger, disillusion and hope, 15-year-old James desperately wants to reconnect with his estranged older brother, Louis, and agrees to deliver drugs to several clients. When he is arrested, he is abandoned by Louis and sent to a juvenile detention facility where intimidation, abuse, and violence among guards and inmates are daily occurrences. As James struggles to find his own voice and reconcile his feelings about his negligent brother and mother, he begins to realize that everyone can make choices about how they live and treat others. James is comforted by letters from a favorite English teacher, reading Jack London’s The Sea Wolf, and the encouragement of a guard who teaches him to lift weights. In a climactic confrontation, he sheds his passive demeanor and attacks a cruel guard who is relentlessly punishing a gay inmate friend. In retaliation, James is brutally beaten by two guards. The unexpected intervention of a staff nurse brings paramedics who airlift James to a hospital and to a “second chance.” Despite the harsh, stark circumstances of his broken home and the upstate New York detention center, James becomes more than a survivor. His nonaggressive disposition provokes contempt but enables him to see more clearly vulnerabilities and injustices around him. Like Shavonne in Goodman’sSomething Like Hope (Delacorte, 2010), James must set his own course in life and find supportive adults. Gripping action, gritty dialogue, vivid characters, and palpable tension permeate the brief chapters of James‘s powerful, honest, compelling narrative.–Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

 KADOHATA, Cynthia. The Thing About Luck. illus. by Julia Kuo. 288p. S & S/Atheneum. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-1882-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-7467-3. LC 2012021287.

Gr 5-8–Fans of Kadohata’s Kira-Kira (S & S, 2004) will welcome this similarly gentle, character-driven exploration of familial bonds, this time set in the contemporary Midwest. With their parents called away to care for relatives in Japan, 12-year-old Summer and her younger brother, Jaz, accompany their grandparents, performing the grueling work that comes with the harvest season. In her likable voice, Summer observes the varying excitement, tedium, and challenges of harvesting wheat, sprinkling her narration with casual turns of phrase such as “OMG” and “epic fail” that will endear her to readers. Strong family ties suffuse this novel with a tremendous amount of heart. Though Summer’s brother has been diagnosed with a number of disorders, she prefers to think of him as simply “intense,” and, like most siblings, is alternately protective of and annoyed by his idiosyncrasies. Her grandparents, comically strict Obaachan and kindly Jiichan, bring warmth and humor with their cultural and generational differences. Kadohata expertly captures the uncertainties of the tween years as Summer navigates the balance of childlike concerns with the onset of increasingly grown-up responsibilities. She ponders the fragility of life after a brush with death from malaria, experiences newfound yearnings upon becoming preoccupied with a boy, and bravely steps up to save the day when her grandfather falls ill. The book’s leisurely pace and extensive information about grain harvesting require some amount of patience from readers, but their investment will be rewarded by Summer’s satisfying journey to self-actualization.–Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA

 LEE, Jenny. Elvis and the Underdogs. illus. by Kelly Light. 304p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223554-1; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223577-0. LC 2012028329.

Gr 4-6–Ten-year-old Benji has always felt like a misfit. He is small and has health concerns that include fainting in stressful situations. He has also become the favorite target of the class bully. When he suffers a seizure at school and ends up in the hospital, his only alternative to wearing a protective helmet is to get a therapy dog, to which his mother reluctantly agrees. However, Parker Elvis Pembroke IV, a Newfoundland, is not just a therapy dog; he is a talking dog whom only Benji can hear. With his arrival, Benji’s life starts to change dramatically for the better. This lighthearted, enjoyable read features a variety of young people dealing with issues such as a pushy father and an overprotective mother. With the help of a wise and self-possessed pup, three “underdogs” become friends as they share some adventures, and the story has enough twists along the way to keep children interested.–Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA

 MCNEAL, Tom. Far Far Away. 370p. Knopf. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-84972-5; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-94972-2; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89698-9. LC 2012020603.

Gr 6 Up–McNeal spins a tale fluctuating from whimsy to macabre in such a beguiling voice that–like Hansel and Gretel–readers won’t realize they’re enmeshed in his dangerous seduction until it’s too late. The book is narrated by the ghost of Jacob Grimm (yes, that one), unhappily caught in the Zwischenraum (a plane of existence between life and death). For now, he is the nearly constant companion of Jeremy Johnson Johnson, who can hear Grimm’s voice when he presses a finger to his right temple. He’s also heard the voices of his dying mother and grandfather. This ability has made him an object of derision for many in his little town, though–thrillingly–not to the electrifyingly vibrant Ginger Boultinghouse, who is more than happy to lure Jeremy into more trouble than he’s ever encountered. Grimm tries to be the voice of reason–to keep Jeremy safe–but few things are as they initially seem in the town of Never Better and it’s difficult to know the difference between hazard and opportunity. It’s also hard to know the good folk from the bad and that’s because so many of McNeal’s characters are complex and have conflicted motivations. When is a bully not so bad? Where’s the line between justifiable grief and parental neglect? Can an older man love a teenager in a way that’s not creepy? How do stories nourish us? At what point do they stifle us? All these questions, and many more, are raised in this folklore-inflected, adventurous, romantic fantasy. Whether readers connect more deeply with the suspense, the magical elements, or the gloriously improbable love story, they will come away with a lingering taste of enchantment.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Library, NY

 WILLIAMS-GARCIA, Rita. P.S. Be Eleven. 288p. HarperCollins/Amistad. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-193862-7; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-193863-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220850-7.

Gr 4-7–After their life-changing summer in Oakland with their poet-activist mother, related in One Crazy Summer (HarperCollins, 2010), sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern find it difficult to readjust to life in Brooklyn. In addition to their grandmother’s strict expectations, the girls must navigate the return of their uncle from Vietnam, their father’s new romantic relationship, and their own uncontrollable love for the Jackson Five. Delphine finds some solace in corresponding with her mother, who reminds her not to take on too much or try to grow up too fast; instead she should remember to be 11. But each adult in Delphine’s life has a different idea of what that means. Over the course of the book, Delphine strives to balance these conflicting perspectives and to articulate her own beliefs. From the very start of the story, her well-realized voice pulls readers into her rapidly changing world. Williams-Garcia ably integrates historical information with Delphine’s story. Even secondary characters are complex and her nuanced understanding of the 1960s brings the setting to life. P.S. Be Eleven is a must-read for fans of the first book, but it can also stand alone as an engrossing novel that will leave readers pondering important issues of race, gender, and identity.–Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

 WINTERS, Cat. In the Shadow of Blackbirds. 388p. photos. Abrams/Amulet. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0530-4. LC 2012039262.

Gr 8 Up–The year is 1918. World War I is killing millions of boys abroad, and the flu pandemic is killing millions of Americans at home. People are increasingly desperate, looking to Spiritualism and folk remedies to help them speak to dead loved ones and survive the flu. After her father is jailed for anti-Americanism, Mary Shelley Black, 16, must go live with her aunt in San Diego. There she is confronted with memories of her first love, Stephen, who is away at war. She is also forced to face Julius, Stephen’s bully of an older brother who is making a fortune as a “Spiritualist Photographer,” a photographer who can capture ghosts in images. She also meets Mr. Darning, a man with a broken heart who is trying to prove that Julius is a fake. After Mary Shelley learns of Stephen’s “heroic” death, she is visited by his suffering ghost. His spirit is delusional and scared, and Mary Shelley suspects there is a terrible reason he’s not at rest. Did Stephen really die on the frontline? How are Julius and Mr. Darning involved? Winters deftly combines mystery, ghost story, historical fiction, and romance. The character development is not deep, but the excellent pacing and deliciously creepy descriptions of Spiritualism more than make up for it; the story and setting are atmospheric and eerie. Black-and-white photos are scattered throughout the book, giving context to the time period.–Laura Lutz, Pratt Institute, New York City

 KENNEDY, Caroline, sel. Poems to Learn by Heart. illus. by Jon J. Muth. 192p. index. Hyperion/Disney.2013. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-0805-4.

Gr 5 Up–Poetry is surely a many splendored thing in this richly conceived compendium of poets and ideas. Using the handsome format of A Family of Poems (Hyperion, 2005), Kennedy and Muth gather and depict a broader, more complex array of poems, inviting the enjoyment of varied readers and audiences. Kennedy’s introductory comments on the value of memorizing poetry note the growing popularity of poetry recitation in festivals, slams, and other competitive events. A major emphasis throughout the book, in introductions to the topical sections and the wide-ranging choice of poems, is the deep pleasure poetry provides its readers, reciters, and writers. Some of the topics–family, school, nonsense poems, fairies, and ogres–suggest children as readers, and some poems are old childhood favorites. All of the sections have many sophisticated selections, however, and there’s a section of war poems that includes Martin Niemoller’s “First They Came for the Jews,” along with much older pieces. Passages from The Metamorphoses and the Bible, along with “Baby Ate a Microchip” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee,” are among the many choices made by Kennedy and her teenage partners from New York City schools. Muth’s watercolor paintings stretch widely, too, in small sketches on white pages, broad comic scenes, and lovely views on softly washed backgrounds. The cover picture of two young children, one with fairy wings, facing a forest dotted with flashing bits of light, lends a rather false cue. Families and teachers will find enjoyable bits to share, and older children, teens, and adults will find much to savor in this fine tribute to the powers of poetry.–Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

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The following titles are reviewed in the June print issue. Visit Book Verdict for the full reviews.

Fiction

ABRAHAMS, Peter. Giving to the Poor. 304p. (The Outlaws of Sherwood Street Series). Philomel. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25503-8.

ALLEN, Crystal. The Laura Line. 328p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199274-2. LC 2012022165.

ARNETT, Mindee. The Nightmare Affair. Bk. 1. 368p. (Arkwell Academy Series). Tor. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-3333-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4668-0067-0.

ASKEW, Kim & Amy Helmes. Tempestuous. 224p. (Twisted Lit Series). Merit. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-5264-9; ebook $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-5265-6.

BAILEY, Kristin. Legacy of the Clockwork Key. Bk. 1. 404p. (The Secret Order Series). S & S/Simon Pulse.2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4026-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4028-9.

BALOG, Cyn. Dead River. 256p. Delacorte. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74158-3; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99012-0; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98578-2.

BANASH, Jennifer. White Lines. 288p. Putnam. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25788-9. LC 2012008725.

BERNE, Emma Carlson. Under Pressure. 104p. (Counterattack Series). Darby Creek. 2013. Tr $27.93. ISBN 978-1-4677-0303-1; pap. $7.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0718-3; ebook $20.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0958-3.

BERRY, Nina. Othermoon. Bk. 2. 310p. (Otherkin Series). Kensington/KTeen. 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7693-3.

BLACKCRANE, Gerelchimeg. Black Flame. tr. from Chinese by Anna Holmwood. 240p. Groundwood. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-135-9; ebook $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-364-3.

BOUDREAU, Hélène. Real Mermaids Don’t Need High Heels. 240p. Sourcebooks/Jabberwocky. 2013. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-6458-0; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-6459-7.

BOYCE, Frank Cottrell. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time. illus. by Joe Berger. 240p.Candlewick. 2013. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5982-0.

BRADLEY, Timothy J. Infestation. 177p. illus. Scholastic. 2013. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-545-45904-4; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-0-545-52076-8.

BROWN, Jennifer. Thousand Words. 288p. Little, Brown. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20972-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20971-7.

BUKIET, Melvin Jules. Undertown. 304p. Abrams/Amulet. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0589-2. LC 2012039246.

BURSTEIN, Lisa. Dear Cassie. 308p. Entangled Teen. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-62061-254-5.

BURT, Marissa. Story’s End. 368p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-202054-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220302-1. LC 2012011519.

CATERER, Claire M. The Key & the Flame. 468p. S & S/McElderry. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5741-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5743-0. LC 2012012658.

CHAMBERLAIN, Adrian. FaceSpace. 114p. ISBN 978-1-4598-0151-6; ISBN 978-1-4598-0150-9; ISBN 978-1-4598-0153-0.

SPAFFORD-FITZ, Karen. Vanish. 128p. ISBN 978-1-4598-0349-7; ISBN 978-1-4598-0355-8; ISBN 978-1-4598-0351-0.
ea vol: (Orca Currents Series). Orca. 2013. RTE $16.95; pap. $9.95; ebook $7.99.

CHAPMAN, Clay McLeod. Homeroom Headhunters. Bk. 1. 304p. (The Tribe Series). Hyperion/Disney. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5221-7. LC 2012023957.

CHARBONNEAU, Joelle. The Testing. Bk. 1. 336p. (The Testing Series). Houghton Harcourt. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-547-95910-8. LC 2012018090.

CHILD, Lauren. Ruby Redfort Take Your Last Breath. illus. by author. 412p. Candlewick. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5468-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6357-5.

CHOLDENKO, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Homework. 224p. (A Tale from Alcatraz). Dial. Aug. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3472-2.

CLARK, Henry. What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World. illus. by Jeremy Holmes. 355p.Little, Brown. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20666-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20667-9.

CREMER, Andrea & David Levithan. Invisibility. 258p. Philomel. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25760-5.LC 2012024514.

CREWE, Megan. The Lives We Lost. Bk. 2. 276p. (The Fallen World Series). Hyperion/Disney. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4617-9. LC 2012032510.

CROSSAN, Sarah. The Weight of Water. 212p. glossary. Bloomsbury. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-967-7.

DIONNE, Erin. Moxie and the Art of Rule Breaking: A 14 Day Mystery. 256p. Dial. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3871-3. LC 2012022306.

ELLIS, Kathryn. Home in Time for Dinner. 192p. Red Deer. 2012. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-0-88995-477-9.

ELSTON, Ashley. The Rules for Disappearing. 320p. Hyperion/Disney. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-6897-3. LC 2012035122.

EMERSON, Kevin. The Fellowship for Alien Detection. 432p. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207185-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207187-3.

ENGLE, Margarita. The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist. 194p. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-80743-0; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-80747-8.

FISHER, Catherine. Obsidian Mirror. Bk. 1. 376p. Dial. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3969-7. LC 2012019459.

FITZMAURICE, Kathryn. Destiny, Rewritten. 352p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-162501-5; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220276-5. LC 2012945971.

FRIESNER, Esther. Spirit’s Chosen. 484p. (Princesses of Myth Series). Random. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86908-2; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96908-9; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89991-1.

GAGNON, Michelle. Strangelets. 288p. SohoTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-137-5; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-138-2. LC 2012038333.

GAIMAN, Neil with Maria Dahvana Headley, sel. by. Unnatural Creatures. illus. by Briony Morrow-Cribbs. 462p.HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223629-6; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223630-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223631-9.

GERAGOTELIS, Brittany. What the Spell? 336p. (A Life’s a Witch Book). S & S. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6815-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6708-8. LC 2012025114.

GRABENSTEIN, Chris. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. 304p. Random. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-87089-7; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-97089-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97496-9.

GRATZ, Alan. Prisoner B-3087. 260p. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-45901-3. LC 2012012460.

GREEN, Jacqueline. Truth or Dare. 400p. Little, Brown/Poppy. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-22036-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-22037-8.

HATHAWAY, Jill. Imposter. 260p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207798-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207800-1. LC 2012028326.

HAUTMAN, Pete. The Cydonian Pyramid. Bk. 2. 368p. (Klaatu Diskos Series). Candlewick. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5404-7; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6376-6. LC 201294673.

HOBLIN, Paul. Archenemy. ISBN 978-1-4677-0306-2; ISBN 978-1-4677-0721-3; ISBN 978-1-4677-0961-3.LC 2012022445.

HUMANN, Amanda. Out of Sync. ISBN 978-1-4677-0304-8; ISBN 978-1-4677-0719-0; ISBN 978-1-4677-0959-0. LC 2012021987.
ea vol: 112p. (Counterattack Series). 2013. Darby Creek. PLB $27.93; pap. $7.95; ebook $20.95.

HOWARD, J. J. That Time I Joined the Circus. 262p. Scholastic/Point. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-43381-5. LC 2012016715.

HRDLITSCHKA, Shelley. Allegra. 268p. Orca. 2013. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4598-0197-4. LC 2012952952.

HYDE, Natalie. Hockey Girl. 151p. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55455-251-1.

IRELAND, Justina. Vengeance Bound. 310p. S & S. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4462-1; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5356-2. LC 2012006779.

JACOBS, Chloe. Greta and the Goblin King. 280p. Entangled Teen. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-62061-002-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-62061-003-9.

JENNINGS, Patrick. My Homework Ate My Homework. 212p. Egmont USA. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-286-7; ebook $15.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-288-1.

JONES, Patrick & The Elsinore Quills. Cassandra’s Turn. 316p. (A Tear Collector Novel). The Grumpy Dragon.2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-0-9881880-2-0.

KAGAWA, Julie. The Eternity Cure. Bk. 2. 432p. (Blood of Eden Series). Harlequin Teen. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-373-21069-5.

KIM, Susan & Laurence Klavan. Wasteland. Bk. 1. 336p. (Wasteland Series). HarperCollins/HarperTeen.2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211851-6; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-211853-0. LC 2012026744.

KIZER, Amber. A Matter of Days. 288p. Delacorte. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73973-3; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90804-7; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89825-9.

KONEN, Leah. The After Girls. 304p. Merit. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-6108-5; ebook $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-6109-2.

KROKOS, Dan. The Planet Thieves. 256p. illus. Tor/Starscape. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-3428-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4668-0998-7.

KROSOCZKA, Jarrett J. The Frog Who Croaked. Bk. 1. illus. by author. 226p. (Platypus Police Squad Series).HarperCollins/Walden Pond. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207164-4; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207165-1.

LAMARCHE, Una. Five Summers. 378p. Penguin/Razorbill. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59514-672-4.

LARWOOD, Kieran. Freaks. 256p. illus. photos. reprods. Scholastic/Chicken House. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-47424-5; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-52062-1. LC 2012002639.

LEBBON, Tim. Reaper’s Legacy. Bk. 2. 210p. (Toxic City Series). PYR. 2013. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-61614-767-9; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-1-61614-768-6.

LEONARD, Rich. The House by the Creek. 95p. Tudor. 2013. pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-0-936389-37-0. LC 2012030587.

LEWIS, Stewart. The Secret Ingredient. 256p. Delacorte. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74331-0; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99106-6; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-449-81001-9.

LEWIS, Sylvia. Beautiful Decay. 304p. Running Pr./Teens. 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7624-4611-7. LC 2012951788.

LONGSHORE, Katherine. Tarnish. 448p. Viking. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01400-2. LC 2012032988.

LUBAR, David. Extremities: Tales of Death, Murder, and Revenge. illus. by Jim Kay. 208p. Tor. July 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-3460-2.

MCCARTHY, Cori. The Color of Rain. 352p. Running Pr./Teens. 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7624-4821-0.LC 2012953353.

MACGREGOR, Roy. Face-Off at the Alamo. 160p. (Screech Owls Series). Tundra. 2013. pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-1-77049-418-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-1-77049-423-7. LC 2012943702.

MACLEAN, Jill. Nix Minus One. 290p. Pajama Press. July 2013. Tr $21.95. ISBN 978-1-927485-24-8.

MCLOON, Linda Snow. Crown Prince. Bk. 1. 286p. ISBN 978-1-57076-546-9. LC 2012024425.
––––. Crown Prince Challenged. Bk. 2. 384p. ISBN 978-1-57076-545-2. LC 2012024423.
ea vol: (Brookmeade Young Riders Series). glossary. Trafalgar Square. 2012. pap. $9.95.

MAIZEL, Rebecca. Stolen Nights. 304p. (Vampire Queen Series). St. Martin’s Griffin. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-312-64992-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-429-96590-3.

MARR, Melissa & Kelley Armstrong, eds. Shards & Ashes. 362p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209846-7; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209845-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209847-4.

MARTIN, Ann M. Better to Wish. Bk. 1. 226p. (Family Tree Series). Scholastic. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-35942-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-53926-5.

MASS, Wendy. Pi in the Sky. 244p. Little, Brown. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08916-6.

MATTHEWS, Patrick. Dragon Run. 324p. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-45068-3; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-52073-7.

MELOY, Maile. The Apprentices. illus. by Ian Schoenherr. 368p. Putnam. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-16245-9.

MESSENGER, Shannon. Let the Sky Fall. 404p. S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5041-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5043-1. LC 2012006109.

MEYERHOFF, Jenny. The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger. illus. by Jason Week. 176p. Farrar. June 2013. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-0-37430518-5.

MILLER, Bobbi. Big River’s Daughter. 208p. further reading. Holiday House. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2752-9. LC 2012033733.

MILLER-LACHMANN, Lyn. Rogue. 227p. Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Bks. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-16225-1.

MILLS, Claudia. Zero Tolerance. 240p. Farrar/Margaret Ferguson. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-33312-6. LC 2012017851.

MIRANDA, Megan. Hysteria. 323p. Walker. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-2310-9.

MONROE, Ayshia. Doin’ It. Bk. 8. 128p. ISBN 978-1-61651-669-7.
––––. The Fake Date. Bk. 7. 132p. ISBN 978-1-61651-667-3.
ea vol: (Juicy Central Series). Saddleback. 2012. pap. $9.95.

MORGAN, Alex. Saving the Team. Bk. 1. 176p. (The Kicks Series). glossary. S & S. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8570-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8572-3. LC 2013002033.

MORGAN, Page. The Beautiful and the Cursed. 341p. Delacorte. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74311-2; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99095-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-307-98081-6. LC 2012022378.

MOYNIHAN, Lindsay. The Waiting Tree. 224p. Amazon. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1634-9; ebook $7.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-6634-4.

MYERS, Walter Dean. Darius & Twig. 208p. HarperCollins/Amistad. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-172823-5; PLB $18.89. ISBN 978-0-06-172824-2; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220925-2. LC 2012050678.

NORTHROP, Michael. Rotten. 256p. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-49587-5; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-49589-9. LC 2012035038.

NOWLIN, Laura. If He Had Been with Me. 328p. Sourcebooks/Fire. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-7782-5.

OLIVER, Lin & Theo Baker. The Shadow Mask. 368p. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-19694-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-51031-8. LC 2012022680.

PALMER, Robin. The Corner of Bitter and Sweet. 392p. Penguin/Speak. June 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-14-241250-3.

PAQUETTE, A. J. Rules for Ghosting. 258p. Walker. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-3454-9.

PARRY, Rosanne. Written in Stone. 208p. Random. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-86971-6; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-96971-3; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98534-8. LC 2012012491.

PHILBIN, Joanna. Rules of Summer. 340p. Little, Brown/Poppy. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21205-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21206-9.

PIKE, Aprilynne. Earthbound. 336p. Penguin/Razorbill. July 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59514-650-2.

PIKE, Aprilynne. Life After Theft. 352p. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199900-0; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-209934-1.

PLISSNER, Laurie. Louder Than Words. 272p. Merit. 2012. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-5665-4; ebook $17.95. ISBN 978-1-4405-5666-1.

POSEY, S. A. M. The Last Station Master: A Boy, a Terrorist, a Secret and Trouble. 182p. photos. Key Publishing. 2013. pap. $19.99. ISBN 978-1-926780-22-1; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-926780-47-4.

PREBLE, Joy. The Sweet Dead Life. 244p. SohoTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-150-4; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-1-61695-151-1.

RAF, Mindy. The Symptoms of My Insanity. 368p. Dial. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3241-4. LC 2012024708.

RHODES, Jewell Parker. Sugar. 276p. Little, Brown. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-04305-2. LC 2012026218.

ROSS, Elizabeth. Belle Epoque. 336p. Delacorte. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74146-0; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99005-2; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98527-0.

RUBY, Lois. Rebel Spirits. 292p. Scholastic/Point. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-42623-7; pap. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-54020-9.

RUDNICK, Paul. Gorgeous. 320p. Scholastic. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46426-0; ebook $18.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46489-5. LC 2012046062.

SA, Rachel. The Lewton Experiment. 180p. Tradewind. 2013. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-896580-97-5.

SAMMS, Olivia. Sketchy. illus. by Oliver Dewey. 256p. (The Bea Catcher Chronicles). Amazon. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-1650-9; ebook $7.99. ISBN 978-1-4778-6650-4.

SANDLER, Karen. Awakening. Bk. 2. 400p. (Tankborn Series). glossary. Lee & Low/Tu. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-60060-982-4.

SELES, Monica & James LaRosa. Game On. Bk. 1. 242p. (The Academy Series). Bloomsbury. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-976-9; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-59990-901-1.

SHERRARD, Valerie. Counting Back from Nine. 198p. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 2012. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55455-245-0.

SILVER, Eve. Rush. Bk. 1. 364p. (The Game Series). HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219213-4. LC 2012025496.

SISE, Katie. The Boyfriend App. 320p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219526-5; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219528-9. LC 2012051821.

SOMAN, Chainani. The School for Good and Evil. 488p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210489-2; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210491-5.

STEVENSON, Robin. Record Breaker. 142p. Orca. 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55469-959-9; ebook $9.95. ISBN 978-1-55469-961-2. LC 2012952479.

STONE, Phoebe. Romeo Blue. 352p. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-44360-9; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-52070-6. LC 2012038060.

STROHMEYER, Sarah. How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True. 304p. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray.2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-218745-1; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-218746-8. LC 2012038163.

TAKOUDES, Greg. When We Wuz Famous. 304p. Holt/Christy Ottaviano. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9452-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9841-9.

TEA, Michelle. Mermaid in Chelsea Creek. illus. by Jason Pollan. 334p. McSweeney’s. 2013. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-938073-36-6.

THOMPSON, J. E. The Girl from Felony Bay. 384p. HarperCollins/Walden Pond. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210446-5; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210448-9. LC 2012025338.

ULRICH, Maureen. Breakaway. Bk. 3. 392p. (Jessie Mac Series). Coteau Books. 2012. pap. $12.95. ISBN 978-1-55050-512-2. LC 2012936050.

VANCE, Talia. Spies and Prejudice. 304p. Egmont USA. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-260-7; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-1-60684-304-8.

VANDE VELDE, Vivian. Frogged. 208p. Houghton Harcourt. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-94215-5; ebook $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-94217-9.

VERDI, Jessica. My Life After Now. 290p. websites. Sourcebooks/Fire. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-7785-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-7786-3.

WELLS, Dan. Fragments. Bk. 2. 576p. (Partials Series). HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207107-1; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207109-5. LC 2012038107.

WEST, Carly Anne. The Murmurings. 370p. S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4179-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4181-1. LC 2012013296.

WHITMAN, Sylvia. The Milk of Birds. 364p. S & S/Atheneum. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4682-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4684-7.

WIGGINS, Bethany. Stung. 292p. Walker. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-3418-1.

ZADOFF, Allen. Boy Nobody. 340p. Little, Brown. June 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-19968-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-24389-6.

ZIA, Farhana. The Garden of My Imaan. 228p. glossary. Peachtree. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-56145-698-7. LC 2012028138.

ZINN, Bridget. Poison. 288p.Hyperion/Disney. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-3993-5. LC 2012008693.

Nonfiction

ANDERSON, Jennifer Joline. Langston Hughes. ISBN 978-1-61783-718-0; ISBN 978-1-61480-809-1. LC 2012946815.

BODDEN, Valerie. Mark Twain. ISBN 978-1-61783-719-7; ISBN 978-1-61480-810-7. LC 2012946801.

FROMOWITZ, Lori. Louisa May Alcott. ISBN 978-1-61783-715-9; ISBN 978-1-61480-806-0. LC 2012946797.
ea vol: 48p. (Great American Authors Series). charts. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. reprods. websites. ABDO. 2013. PLB $32.79; ebook $22.95.

ANDERSON, Tanya. Tillie Pierce: Teen Eyewitness to the Battle of Gettysburg. 96p. maps. photos. 21st Century. 2013. Tr $34.60. ISBN 978-1-4677-0692-6; ebook $25.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-1057-2.

ANGLEBERGER, Tom. Art2-D2’s Guide to Folding and Doodling: An Origami Yoda Activity Book. illus. by author. 176p. bibliog. Abrams/Amulet. 2013. Tr $12.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0534-2.

ANNISS, Matt. Science vs. Disease. ISBN 978-1-4339-8687-1; ISBN 978-1-4339-8690-1; ISBN 978-1-4339-8688-8. LC 2012034538.

HUNTER, Nick. Science vs. Animal Extinction. ISBN 978-1-4339-8675-8; ISBN 978-1-4339-8682-6; ISBN 978-1-4339-8676-5. LC 2012034538.
––––. Science vs. Climate Change. ISBN 978-1-4339-8678-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-8681-9; ISBN 978-1-4339-8679-6. LC 2012037753.

ROYSTON, Angela. Science vs. Crime. ISBN 978-1-4339-8683-3; ISBN 978-1-4339-8686-4; ISBN 978-1-4339-8684-0. LC 2012037753.
ea vol: 48p. (Science Fights Back Series). chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. websites. Gareth Stevens. 2013. PLB $31.95; pap. $14.05; ebook $31.95.

ARETHA, David. A Time for Martyrs: The Life of Malcolm X. 144p. (Civil Rights Leaders Series). bibliog. chron. index. notes. photos. websites. Morgan Reynolds. 2013. PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-59935-328-9. LC 2011048171.

BANKSTON, John. We Visit Kenya. ISBN 978-1-61228-304-3; ISBN 978-1-61228-378-4. LC 2012009623.
––––. We Visit Rwanda. ISBN 978-1-61228-307-4; ISBN 978-1-61228-381-4. LC 2012009881.

GAGNE, Tammy. We Visit South Africa. ISBN 978-1-61228-308-1; ISBN 978-1-61228-382-1. LC 2012041974.
ea vol: 64p. (Your Land and My Land: Africa Series). bibliog. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Mitchell Lane. 2013. PLB $33.95; ebook $33.95.

BAXTER, Roberta. Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of the Atomic Age. 112p. (Profiles in Science Series). bibliog. chron. diags. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Morgan Reynolds. 2013. PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-59935-171-1. LC 2010049096.

BAXTER, Roberta. John Dalton and the Development of Atomic Theory. 112p. (Profiles in Science Series). bibliog. charts. chron. diags. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. reprods. websites. Morgan Reynolds. 2013.PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-59935-122-3. LC 2010038610.

BOW, James. Impossible Science. ISBN 978-0-7787-8009-0; ISBN 978-0-7787-8014-4.

SAMUELS, Charlie. Astonishing Bodies. ISBN 978-0-7787-8006-9; ISBN 978-0-7787-8011-3.
––––. Forgotten Cities. ISBN 978-0-7787-8007-6; ISBN 978-0-7787-8012-0.
ea vol: 32p. (Mystery Files Series). further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. reprods. websites. Crabtree. 2013. PLB $27.60; pap. $9.95.

CURRIE, Stephen. Prohibition. illus. ISBN 978-1-60152-508-6. LC 2012038100.

GEORGE, Linda & Charles George. The Great Depression. ISBN 978-1-60152-492-8. LC 2012032156.

MARCOVITZ, Hal. The 1960s. ISBN 978-1-60152-494-2. LC 2012032157.
ea vol: 96p. (Understanding American History Series). chron. further reading. index. maps. notes. photos. websites. ReferencePoint. 2013. PLB $27.95.

EASTHAM, Chad. The Truth About Breaking Up, Making Up, and Moving On. 226p. notes. Thomas Nelson.2013. pap. $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4003-2115-5. LC 2012032794.

FONSECA, Christine. The Girl Guide: Finding Your Place in a Mixed-Up World. 240p. bibliog. websites.Prufrock Press. 2013. pap. $14.95. ISBN 978-1-61821-027-2.

FORMICHELLI, Linda & W. Eric Martin. Timekeeping: Explore the History and Science of Telling Time with 15 Projects. illus. by Samuel Carbaugh. 128p. (Build It Yourself Series). chron. further reading. glossary. index. websites. Nomad. 2012. Tr $21.95. ISBN 978-1-61930-136-8; pap. $15.95. ISBN 978-1-61930-033-0.

GOULD, Francesca. Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers: Gross but True Things You Don’t Want to Know About Your Body. illus. by JP Coovert. 128p. Putnam. 2013. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25790-2; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-1-101-60789-3.

HERNANDEZ, Daniel with Susan Goldman Rubin. They Call Me a Hero: A Memoir of My Youth. 220p. bibliog. S & S. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6228-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6238-0. LC 2012019829.

HIGGINS, Melissa. Wind Energy. ISBN 978-1-61783-469-1; ISBN 978-1-61480-689-9. LC 2012024013.

LUSTED, Marcia Amidon. Nuclear Energy. ISBN 978-1-61783-466-0; ISBN 978-1-61480-686-8. LC 2012024011.

OWINGS, Lisa. Sustainable Agriculture. ISBN 978-1-61783-468-4; ISBN 978-1-61480-688-2. LC 2012023992.

ZUCHORA-WALSE, Christine. Solar Energy. ISBN 978-1-61783-467-7; ISBN 978-1-61480-687-5. LC 2012024012.
ea vol: 112p. (Innovative Technologies Series). bibliog. diags. further reading. glossary. illus. index. notes. photos. websites. ABDO. 2013. PLB $23.95; ebook $23.95.

JOHNSON, Sylvia A. Shaking the Foundation: Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution. 88p. bibliog. diags. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. websites. 21st Century. 2013. PLB $33.27. ISBN 978-0-7613-5486-4; ebook $24.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-1055-8. LC 2012018075.

KO, Alex. Alex Ko: From Iowa to Broadway, My Billy Elliot Story. 328p. photos. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-223601-2. LC 2013932626.

LANKFORD, Ronald D., Jr. Proud: The Story of James Brown. 128p. (Modern Music Masters Series). bibliog. chron. discography. further reading. glossary. index. notes. photos. websites. Morgan Reynolds. 2013. PLB $28.95. ISBN 978-1-59935-374-6. LC 2012035353.

LUSTED, Marcia Amidon. Greece. 144p. (Countries of the World Series). charts. chron. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. notes. photos. reprods. websites. ABDO. 2013. PLB $24.95. ISBN 978-1-61783-629-9; ebook $24.95. ISBN 978-1-61480-660-8. LC 2012946071.

MARA, Wil. Environmental Protection. ISBN 978-0-531-23603-1; ISBN 978-0-531-21961-4. LC 2012034321.

SQUIRE, Ann O. Hydrofracking: The Process That Has Changed America’s Energy Needs. ISBN 978-0-531-23604-8; ISBN 978-0-531-21962-1.

YOMTOV, Nel. Internet Inventors. ISBN 978-0-531-23609-3; ISBN 978-0-531-21967-6. LC 2012034323.
ea vol: 64p. (Cornerstones of Freedom Series). chron. diags. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. websites. Children’s Press. 2013. PLB $30; pap. $8.95.

MARTIN, Iain C. Gettysburg: The True Account of Two Young Heroes in the Greatest Battle of the Civil War.178p. bibliog. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. reprods. Sky Pony. June 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-62087-532-2.

MARTIN, Martha Brack. D-Day. 48p. (Chrome Series). further reading. glossary. index. maps. photos. websites. Crabtree. 2012. PLB $30.60. ISBN 978-0-7787-7924-7; pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7787-7933-9. LC 2012040199.

MOONEY, Carla. Teen Violence. ISBN 978-1-60152-496-6. LC 2012033700.

STEWART, Gail B. Teenage Dropouts. ISBN 978-1-60152-506-2. LC 2012036648.
ea vol: 96p. (Compact Research: Teenage Problems Series). charts. chron. further reading. index. notes. photos. websites. ReferencePoint. 2013. PLB $27.95.

OLMOS, Gabriela. I Dreamt…: A Book About Hope. tr. from Spanish by Elisa Amado. illus. by Manuel Monroy, et al. 40p. Groundwood. 2013. Tr $18.95. ISBN 978-1-55498-330-8.

PARDES, Bronwen. Doing It Right: Making Smart, Safe, and Satisfying Choices About Sex . rev. ed. 160p. diags. further reading. index. websites. S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8370-5; pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8371-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8373-6. LC 2006928450.

RICHARDS, Jon. The Natural World. ISBN 978-1-926973-74-6. LC 2012951086.
––––. Planet Earth. ISBN 978-1-926973-75-3. LC 2012951085.
ea vol: illus. by. Ed Simkins. 32p. (The World in Infographics Series). charts. chron. diags. glossary. illus. index. maps. websites. Owlkids. 2013. PLB $15.95.

BARKAN

BEATY, Bart H, ed. Critical Survey of Graphic Novels: Independents & Underground Classics. 1500p. photos. further reading. bibliog. Salem Press. 2012. PLB $395. ISBN 978-1-58765-950-8. LC 2011051380. Online: Salem Literature database, eBooks on EBSCOhost
Gr 9 Up–The emergence of graphic novels as a genre worthy of analysis is of no surprise; this title looks specifically at the body of work that is self-published or is originally from independent publishers, examining more than 215 titles in terms of publication history, plot, characters, artistic style, themes, and impact. For example, Shaun Tan’s The Arrival is described as a hybrid graphic novel and wordless picture book that is held in high regard for its universal tale of an immigrant family, placing readers in the role of immigrants who must rely on images and symbols to communicate. Interesting information about Tan’s use of graphite pencils and a photorealism that contextualizes the book historically may help content teachers looking for resources that fit nicely in the Common Core standards. Other familiar titles covered in the approximately four-page, individually authored entries include Persepolis; Maus: A Survivor’s Tale; Stitches: A Memoir;Laika; and American Born Chinese. Black-and-white images accompany some entries, displaying the cover art or sample pages; other entries have an inset box with an author/artist photograph and a biography. All are followed by further-reading suggestions and a bibliography. Volume three boasts a number of appendixes, such as a time line and lists of online resources; major awards; and works by artist, author, or publisher, all followed by a complete index with many cross-references. An important and accessible resource.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

CARRILLO, Karen Juanita. African American History Day by Day: A Reference Guide to Events. 420p. bibliog. chron. further reading. index. websites. Greenwood . 2012. PLB $89. ISBN 978-1-59884-360-6; ISBN 978-1-59884-361-3. LC 2012006083. Online: ABC-CLIO eBook Collection
Gr 6 Up–Organized by the calendar year, this expansive reference work covers the people and events that have shaped African American history. Covering from January 1, 1880, when the transatlantic slave trade was banned in the U.S., to December 31, 1930, when blues singer Odetta was born, the book touches on the breadth of the African American experience in politics, education, civil rights, art, literature, sports, and science. Each date highlights a major entry, with year, description, excerpts from primary sources, and a list of books and websites for further reading. Most days also include other “Also Noteworthy” events. Educators can find lesson connections here for every day of the year, while an extensive bibliography and index provide multiple ways to get at the information. Unlike other recent books on the topic, Carrillo focuses on events in a historical context, rather than merely presenting the same lists of famous African Americans. The day-by-day approach allows the author to go beyond the well-known to celebrate more events and people who shaped American history.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

DANVER, Steven, ed. Native Peoples of the World: An Encyclopedia of Groups, Cultures, and Contemporary Issues. 3 vols. 877p. bibliog. further reading. index. maps. photos. Sharpe Reference. 2013. PLB $349. ISBN 978-0-7656-8222-2. Online: Sharpe Online Reference
Gr 9 Up–This informative encyclopedia surveys the history, language, culture, and current status of 400 native groups. The first two volumes discuss individual groups, profiling not only expected indigenous groups such as Native American and African tribes, but also the native populations of places such as Great Britain, France, and Norway. Articles are arranged alphabetically within sections based on world regions. The final volume’s two sections examine the general status of native peoples in 77 countries and the effects of important issues such as climate change, globalization, and women’s rights upon each of them. The signed, one- to five-page articles are accurate and reflect the perspective of native rights outlined in the 1992 Declaration of Indigenous Peoples of the World, which emphasizes the importance of sovereignty and self-determination. Numerous sidebars add information about important events such as the Navajo Long Walk and indigenous leaders such as Nelson Mandela. Average-quality, captioned black-and-white photos and illustrations add little, and the set’s most significant weakness is its single black-and-white political map, which fails to identify the locations of many of the regions and areas mentioned in entries. An extensive index, cross-references, and further-reading lists that are provided after each article will help users to navigate the work and to find additional sources. This set gives researchers a reliable introduction to native peoples of the world and their historical and current challenges. A useful addition.–Mary Mueller, Rolla Public Schools, MO

FERRARA, Miranda H, ed. Innovation Masters: History’s Best Examples of Business Transformation. 404p. bibliog. index. websites. Gale Cengage. 2012. PLB $462. ISBN 978-1-4144-9618-4; ebook $462. ISBN 978-1-4144-9619-1. LC 2012005369. Online: Gale Virtual Reference Library
Gr 9 Up–Innovation successes featured in this high-interest, accessible reference are comprised of new technologies and inventions of the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as novel ideas and concepts that have impacted society. Coverage in the approximately 100 essays ranges from the iconic Ford Motor Company’s assembly line and Eli Whitney’s cotton gin to products such as Band-Aid Bandages and 3M Post-it Notes, and advertising campaigns such as “Got Milk?” and one promoting NASCAR. The digital explosion makes this a highly relevant, current source for factual information about innovators behind Facebook, Wikipedia, Netflix, Apple, Wi-fi, Google, eBay, and more. An essay on Pandora Radio/Music Genome Project, for example, begins with its inception by Tim Westergren and his vision of producing software that would make thoughtful music recommendations based on previous selections. Each entry is typically four pages in length and includes a description of a business plan, the extent of financial success, product details, marketing, improvements, and consumer response to the innovation, followed by a list of recommended books, journals, and websites. The publisher’s companion volume, Corporate Disasters: What Went Wrong and Why (2012), looks at innovator failures, rather than successes, offering teachers critical thinking and inquiry opportunities for their students.–Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

RUBEL, David. Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times. rev. ed. 256p. charts. chron. diag. illus. index. maps. photos. reprods. Scholastic. 2013. PLB $24.99. ISBN 978-0-545-49985-9.
Gr 4 Up–Who was the only president to be elected unanimously by the electoral college? When did the first modern campaign take place? Which president was ticketed for driving his horse with excessive speed? What role did Carry A. Nation, The Little Rock Nine, or Seal Team Six play in U.S. history? These questions and more are answered in this fifth update of the 1994 edition (the previous update appeared in 2009). Front matter includes a usage guide that describes how to look up a particular president, find out who was in office in a partiular year, locate election results, and learn about important events and people. Presidents are covered in a chapter each. The top corners of the pages denote the years during which the man ruled; each entry opens with vital details–birth and death dates, party affiliation, Vice President, First Lady, and children, if any, and nickname. Also provided in this opening information is a fun fact; for example, James Madison was the first president to regularly wear trousers (before him they wore knee breeches). Featured events during each presidency may include literature and the arts, inventions, or notable individuals. President signatures, campaign details, and newspaper-style clips add color. With the additional information on newly elected commanders in chief, this title offers students the opportunity to gain a solid foundation of information on American history and its leaders.–Beth McGuire, Hempfield Area School District

RUSSO, Charles J. Debating Issues in American Education. 10 vols. 3968p. bibliog. charts. further reading. index. websites. SAGE. 2012. PLB $680. ISBN 978-1-4129-8978-7. LC 2011040901. Online: SAGE Reference Online
Gr 10 Up–Each of about 150 issues in primary and secondary education, in areas that range from school financing and governance to alternative schooling and the uses of new technology, is addressed here in a piece that opens with a “Yes/No” question (with some exceptions), and is followed by an overview and a pair of point-counterpoint arguments. The general slant of the material is academic, and the arguments are tightly laced with research results and case studies. The entries and the general introductions that open each thematic volume end with recommended resources and, where relevant, lists of court cases and statutes. Despite the high level of discourse, much of what is explored here is practical and, at least theoretically, should be of interest to present and future educators, parents, and politicians. Questions tackled include, “Should corporal punishment in public schools be abolished?” “Should English-only curriculums be eliminated or expanded?” and, “Should all forms of ability grouping be eliminated in schools?” Other debates take on school vouchers, teacher certification, religious expression in public schools, appropriate sources of funding, homeschooling, safety, and more. Though usable (and available) individually, each volume is capped by an analytical index to the entire set that highlights overlapping and interlocking subjects–notably the Common Core State Standards Initiative, aspects of which are examined in all five volumes. Relentlessly utilitarian design notwithstanding, these titles merit serious consideration for their systematic approach and unusually broad scope.–John Peters, Children’s Literature Consultant, New York City

TREFIL, James. Space Atlas: Mapping the Universe and Beyond. 336p. appendix. bibliog. charts. diags. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. National Geographic. 2012. PLB $50. ISBN 978-1-4262-0971-0.
Gr 6 Up–This stunningly beautiful and informative guide to the planets, stars, and beyond is illustrated in full color, providing photographs, art, and computer graphics that will draw readers into the mysteries and vastness of space. Brief biographies credit and introduce scientists who made important discoveries. The book explains, for example, that Edwin Hubble, one of the scientists who transformed our understanding of the universe, was also an outstanding athlete who chose science over a career as a professional boxer. The finding aids in this guide to the solar system, galaxy, and the universe make it highly user friendly. Appended are a table of facts about the planets, in which information about each planet’s satellites is alphabetically arranged under each planet heading; a list of notable deep-sky objects–the stars, star clusters, galaxies, nebulae, etc., found beyond our solar system; and a glossary and a list of map terms. The general index uses bold type for the page numbers of illustrations and the biographies of pertinent scientists, and it is followed by a lengthy place-name index. A gorgeous, fact-filled must for reference sections that need up-to-date astronomy information.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD