Jackie & Me (Baseball Card Adventures) by Dan Gutman. HarperCollins (1999), Hardcover, 160 pages

In order to write an essay for school, 12 year old Joe Stoshak uses his baseball card collection to travel back to 1947 to meet Jackie Robinson and learns to understand better the racsim Robinson faced as the first African American in major league baseball; Stoshak, who is white, arrives in 1947 as a young black boy. Not great literature, formulaic and predictable, part of Gutman's baseball card series books.(See Honus, Babe, etc.) Young baseball fans LOVE them. Good for sports fans.

Marked: A House of Night Novel (Book 1) by PC Cast. St. Martin's Griffin (2007), Paperback, 306 pages

Life changes dramatically when 16 year old Zoey Redbird is marked as a vampyre. She leaves her unhappy home to attend Vampyre boarding school as a fledgling. New powers, new friends, new enemies, new adventures and new love await her at the House of Night. While most changes are positive, some are confusing (blood lust) and others are outright dangerous...vampyre mean girls--YIKES!
Wildly popular with young teen girls, a 13year old 8th grader tells me she liked this one especially because the heroine, Zoey, seems just like herself and her friends. She thinks like them and does not have all the answers or seem heroic. Not great literature but lots of fun and a quick read.

Spiders In The Hairdo by David Holt. August House (1999), Paperback, 111 pages

modern stories and urban legends from the audio collection of the same name. Holt and Mooney are master storytellers and this collection includes many favorites (airline pilot, mexican pet, hamster). I personally tested it with an 8 year old 3rd grade boy with fantastic results. Easy to learn and to tell, Spiders in the Hairdo is a better read aloud than reader for the younger age range. While some stories contain elements that are a little dated and may need some expanation, we still loved it.

Stone Fox 25th Anniversary Edition by John Reynolds Gardiner. HarperCollins (1980), Hardcover, 96 pages

When grandfather has an apparent stroke, 10 year old Little Willie finds himself the sole caretaker of both Grandfather and the farm. In danger of losing the homestead and against all advice, Willie and his pet, Searchlight, enter the dogsled race in order to win the prize money and pay off the taxes on the farm. He is up against Stone Fox, the mysterious Native American who has never lost a race. Stone Fox needs the money to buy back land stolen from his people. Well written and fast paced, this book pulls you in and keeps you interested through the exciting race and its surprising ending--which Gardiner says was presented as a true story. A winner!

I Was a Rat! by Philip Pullman. Knopf Books for Young Readers (2000), Hardcover, 176 pages

A twist on the classic cinderella tale. What would happen if cinderella lived today and one of her rat-turned-coachmen continued to live as a boy? that's the premise of this clever and witty little tale. Fun but not great.

David Ortiz (Amazing Athletes) by Jeff Savage. Lerner Publishing Group (2006), Library Binding, 32 pages

The baseball life-story of Red Sox star David Ortiz. Lots of pictures, large type, lots of white space. Glossary, with words in text highlighted and additional resource/web link section at back. approximately 2nd grade level text. Attractive and informative for younger readers and sports fans.

Elsewhere (Ala Notable Children's Books. Older Readers) by Gabrielle Zevin. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (2005), Hardcover, 288 pages

When 15 year old Liz dies in a car accident, she finds there is an afterlife--but one like no other she had imagined. There is Elsewhere, a place very much like earth, where people work and drive cars and eat in restaurants, But in Elsewhere, everyone is dead already and you age backwards until you are a baby again and are re-born, sans memory--a fresh start. But life in death is complicated--Liz must find a profession, build a life with the grandmother, (NOW 25) that she never knew, and, fall in love for the first time....in a world where people remember their future and progress to their past.... A clever, witty story--well written and lots to discuss and think about.

Me Oh Maya (Time Warp Trio) by Jon Scieszka. Viking Juvenile (2003), Hardcover, 80 pages

The book sends the trio back in time 1,000 years to Chichén Itzá, where the boys make friends with fallen Maya Royals who they help restore to there rightful place in society. They learn a few things about Maya society and sports in the process. I like the books and they are very popular with series readers, especially boys, but this one comes with a caveat: The Maya are a living breathing people still--unlike neanderthals or european pirates--and this book is a bit disrespectful--not awful, but worth mentioning to young readers. In particular, Scieszka ridicules the evil Maya rulers name as "Kakapupahed" and I am concerned that this can encourage kids (and adults) to ridicule the names(and people) of languages they do not speak. i mention this to whomever takes the book out. Still, the series is clever and popular with both children and adults for children.

Anansi and the Magic Stick by Eric A. Kimmel. Holiday House (2001), Hardcover, 32 pages

I love African folktales and have a special fondness for Anansi. In this humorous tale, Anansi only just manages to pull himself out of trouble. A wonderful story filled with magic and a catchy refrain ("Hocus Pocus magic stick...") Magic Stick makes a great to read aloud--anansi is always popular with kids and Eric Kimmel always makes a story fun! A Winner!

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka. Viking Juvenile (1992), Hardcover, 56 pages

A clever and humorous send up of some well known European folk and fairy tales: Little Red Hen, Chicken Little, Princess and the Pea, Ugly Duckling, Frog Prince, Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, Cinderella, Rumplestiltskin, Tortoise and the Hare and the Gingerbread Man. Scieszka parodies not only the tales but also the Books themselves. Not for the youngest readers as parodies only work when one is familiar with the original tale, and because readers need a certain level of sophistication to "get it", but for some 2nd and definitely 3rd and up this is a terrific treat--whether you are doing a unit on tales or writing your own stories--this is a winner. I especially loved Little Red Hen's running commentary.

The Lost Warrior (Warriors) by Erin Hunter. TokyoPop (2007), Paperback, 112 pages

I was disappointed in this manga version of the popular Warrior series. One of the strengths of the original series are the descriptions--of the smells, looks, feel of the cat's physical environment and of what the cats are thinking. This is lost in this graphic format where the language is empty and the graphics wooden. It is no substitute for the books and i doubt it will appeal to fans of the series. It may have some appeal for younger siblings or reluctant readers or cat lovers though. Let's see. the jury is still out on that.

Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale from the Andes Mountains by Barbara Knutson. Carolrhoda Books (2004), Library Binding, 32 pages

Cuy, a guinea pig from the Andes, tricks fox three times and then gets tricked himself in this clever and authentic folktale. Shades of Henny Penny, Tar Baby and, of course, the Ananse tales--this folk tale is a delight! Great read a loud.

Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle. Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (2005), Unknown Binding

Always a winner, Carle brings common and not so common animals and asks us if they have a mother too--rhyme and repetition and prediction--plus animal identification and prediction make this charming book about animal families fun at storytime. use for colors or animal noises as well.

The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith. Yearling (2007), Edition: Reissue, Paperback, 128 p

In the 1930s in rural Scotland, a young girl and her brother find and hatch the egg of a mythical creature. As loved as any household pet, caring for 'Crusoe' pulls the family together as they look for ways to protect and hide the animal, eventually releasing it into Loch Ness. Parts of Eragon and shades of Free Willy, this lovely tale is about love and family and letting go. recommend for boys and girls, 3rd-5th or 6th grade.

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum. National Geographic Children's Books (2005), H

Excellent overview of civil rights freedom riders w/ forwards by 2 of the participants. great photos, enough white space to be enjoyable to read and easy on the eyes while still packing in lots of facts and information; well written. has it all...research guide, mug shots and citations.