
“Rich symbolism abounds, and many common threads are woven together” in Sharon Creech’s The Great Unexpected. Read SLJ’s starred review of the audiobook version.
February 16, 2013
The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens

“Rich symbolism abounds, and many common threads are woven together” in Sharon Creech’s The Great Unexpected. Read SLJ’s starred review of the audiobook version.

Sophia’s War. By Avi. 6 cassettes or 6 CDs. 7:15 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-2043-0, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2042-3. $66.75.
Gr 5-9–Set in 1776 during the American Revolution when New York was under siege by the British, Avi’s tale (S & S/Beach Lane Books, 2012) of resistance features an amazing female protagonist, trials aplenty as she tries to avenge her brother’s death, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Sophia’s family believes in freedom and desperately wants America [...]

Balloons Over Broadway: The Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade. By Melissa Sweet. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-4703-2922-8, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-2921-1. $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-0-5471-9945-9: $16.99.
K-Gr 3–The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade is a holiday tradition. But where did those big balloons begin? With puppeteer Tony Sarg, of course! The informative, enthusiastic text of Sweet’s Robert F. Siebert Medal picture-book biography (Houghton Mifflin, 2011) tells a little about Sarg’s life and his career [...]

Anna Hibiscus. By Atinuke. cassette or CD. 1 hr. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4618-3465-6, CD: ISBN 978-1-4618-3466-3. $15.75.
Gr 1-3–With this introductory phrase, “Anna Hibiscus lives in Africa. Amazing Africa,” we are introduced to the many facets of an African child’s daily life with her close-knit family. The culture, land, and people of Africa come shining through in Atinuke’s absolutely delightful stories (Walker, 2007) in this early chapter book. Four vignettes focusing on the child’s life with her large, noisy, [...]

Splendors & Glooms. By Laura Amy Schlitz. 10 cassettes or 10 CDs. 12 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4498-3568-2, CD: ISBN 978-1-4498-3572-9. $108.75
Gr 4-8–Set in a Dickensian London, Davina Porter is the perfect narrator to capture the nuances of the characters and the time period in Schlitz’s exceptional Victorian fantasy (Candlewick, 2012). Listeners will ache for the orphan children, Lizzie Rose and Parsefall, when they come up with money after pawning a watch. Should they have a proper meal [...]

Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. By Lee Wardlaw. cassette or CD. 15 min. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4640-4565-3, CD: ISBN 978-1-4640-4571-4: $15.75; hardcover book, ISBN 978-1-8050-8995-0: $16.99.
Gr 1-4–A cat sits in a shelter. There are other cats around him, yet he is alone. Will anyone choose him? Yes! But adjustments must be made…mostly by his new owners because, after all, he IS a cat. Wardlaw’s book (Holt, 2011) strikes just the right notes. Written in clever [...]

About Average. By Andrew Clements. 2 cassettes or 2 CDs. 2 hrs. Recorded Books. 2012. cassette: ISBN 978-1-4703-0081-4, CD: ISBN 978-1-4703-0082-1. $25.75.
Gr 3-6–Jordan understands that it’s hard being average. Everyone around her seems to have a shining talent, or even two or three—but not Jordan. She realistically examines herself and recognizes her ordinariness. She is a C student and has average looks, but she hopes that her enthusiasm will make up for a lack of talent in sports and music. [...]







By Brigid Alverson on February 16, 2013
By Elizabeth Bird on February 16, 2013
By Peter Gutierrez on February 15, 2013
By Elizabeth Burns on February 15, 2013
By Battle Commander on February 15, 2013
By Elizabeth Bird on February 15, 2013
By Angela Carstensen on February 14, 2013
Copyright © 2013 · SLJ Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in