Toys Go Out

by Emily Jenkins
Six stories plus three friends plus one little girl the friends all love, add up to a charming story just right for readers ready to move up to chapter books. StingRay has been around the longest and the other toys all look up to her. After all, she knows so much more than they do - like what it means to be a grown-up: "You're not a grown-up until you're at least eight…[then] you can drive a limousine, and brush your teeth without being reminded, and you can read all the words in the dictionary, no matter how long." Lumphy is a little buffalo who tries to be tough like a buffalo should be, but really, how could anyone face the terror of the washing machine? And Plastic is... well, Plastic isn't actually quite sure what she is, but she'll do whatever she can to find out. Jenkins packs plenty of gentle humor into her imagined secret life for these toys. As a bonus, since each chapter is a self-contained story, this is a perfect read-aloud for a class or at bedtime. Follow StingRay, Lumphy and Plastic on even more adventures by checking out the sequel, Toy Dance Party!

Recommended for grades 1-4 or younger if read aloud
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Highway Cats

by Janet Taylor Lisle
The highway cats are a mean, scraggly, tough bunch. You know these cats are bad when they respond to a box of kittens being left beside the highway by betting on which ones, if any, will make it across the busy roadway without being splatted by a truck. Strangely enough, all three kittens make it across the road and a rumor starts that they're miracle kittens. Soon, even stranger things are happening. Under the kittens' influence, the highway cats actually start cleaning up themselves and their language. Khalia Koo, their leader and the toughest of them all, appears to be softening to the kittens. Old Shredder sees something special in the kittens and something like a soft glow surrounding them. Could the kittens actually be magic? Or even a real live miracle? The highway cats could certainly use a miracle because the mayor has his eye on their little scrap of land. But what can three little kittens and a ragtag band of cats do against the might and power of city hall, not to mention construction workers and their huge machines? Turns out, there may be more power in these three little kittens than the highway cats ever imagined, but will it be enough to save the day? Read and find out!

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Frindle

by Andrew Clements
Nick is not a good kid or a bad kid or a really smart kid; Nick is an idea kid. He's also the best class interrupter in the whole school - until he gets to Mrs. Granger's 5th-grade language arts class. A simple question about the dictionaries that Mrs. Granger loves - meant to distract her from giving the night's homework - leads to an oral report by Nick on the history of the dictionary and how words are created. What at first seems like Nick's defeat soon leads to his best idea ever: He will create a word. Which is how Nick and his friends start calling their pens "frindles." Mrs. Granger refuses to accept the new word for pen, which has been quickly adopted by the entire 5th-grade class, fighting against the 5th graders every step of the way. Once the whole school gets involved though, Nick begins to realize that while he started the "frindle" movement, it's now far beyond his control. Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply thought provoking, you won’t be able to put it down until you’ve read the last, very surprising, page.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Space Station Rat

by Michael J. Daley
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to live on a space station? Jeff thought it was going to be awesome, full of excitement and special activities, like the space walk he and his Dad are supposed to be training for while Mom works on her super important solar data tracking. The truth: thanks to Mom's assistant Doctor Krosta getting sick at exactly the wrong time, everyone, even Dad, is way too busy doing important science stuff to do anything else, especially anything that involves Jeff. Instead, Jeff is stuck with an annoying baby-sitting robot named Nanny. Jeff is bored out of his mind - until the e-mail from Earth arrives. "Hi! I am looking for a pen pal who lives in an unusual place. Your address seems unusual. Do you live in an unusual place? Are you looking for a pen pal? Write back. P.S. Do you like peanut butter???" Soon Jeff and his new pen pal are exchanging e-mails non-stop, but little does Jeff know that his pen pal isn't on Earth. His pen-pal is right there with him on the space station. Rat turned the wrong way when she escaped from her laboratory on Earth and now she's stuck on the space station and starving. Jeff is her only hope to survive, but Rat isn't about to trust a human ever again so she'll have to trick Jeff into helping her. Good thing Rat has some special skills like knowing how to type...

For more about Jeff and Rat, check out the sequel Rat Trap.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Bone: Out from Boneville

by Jeff Smith
Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone may be cousins but they couldn't be three more different people. Phoney Bone's the crafty one with the get-rich schemes that always lead to trouble - like getting run out of Boneville and getting lost in the desert wilderness. Smiley Bone's the not-so-bright one, happy to help his cousins in any way possible, but short on ideas of his own. Fone Bone's the one who gets everybody out of trouble, but even he doesn't know where they are now. Things are not looking good and when the horde of locusts comes through, they're looking even worse because now the three Bone cousins have been separated and Fone is on his own. All he has is the strange map that Smiley found that leads him to a valley where things get stranger and stranger. First, a dragon appears and disappears in the middle of the night. Then, Fone meets two bugs - one tiny, one giant; one friendly, one a little less so. Fone doesn't really hit rock bottom though until he meets the stupid, stupid rat creatures that seem to be out to capture and eat him. Then Thorn arrives and things start looking up because Thorn is a beautiful girl who brings Fone home to meet Gran'ma Ben who can help him get back to Boneville, once he's found his cousins of course. It turns out this is just the beginning of Fone Bone's adventures though - something very mysterious is happening in the valley and the Bone cousins and Thorn seem to be caught smack dab in the middle of it. The Bone series continues in eight more volumes and once you read this first volume, you won't want to wait to read the rest!

Recommended for grades 3 and up
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

First Test

by Tamora Pierce
All 10-year-old Keladry wants is to be a knight, someone who can protect those who can't protect themselves. According to the proclamation issued by King Jonathon of Tortall 10 years ago, Kel has every right to try for her shield even if no other girls have stepped forward before now. Kel should be able to go through the four years of page training and schooling just like the boys. She should be able to become a squire and serve a knight for four more years. She should be able to earn her knighthood like everyone else, but Lord Wyldon, the page training master, has other ideas. "Girls are fragile, more emotional, easier to frighten. They are not as strong in their arms and shoulders as men. They tire easily. This girl would get any warriors who serve with her killed on some dark night." That's what Wyldon thinks and the only way he will accept Kel is on a one-year probationary period - if she does anything wrong, fails at anything, she's out. No boy has ever had to have a probation year; it's just not fair, but Kel accepts the deal knowing the task she's set for herself may be impossible: change Wyldon's mind and prove she's meant to be a knight. Wyldon is far from the only problem Kel faces: the training is grueling, immortal and magical creatures haunt Tortall's lands, and the other pages don't appreciate having a girl set in their midst. Kel may not have magic like Alanna, the only current Lady Knight, but all of Tortall will soon learn that Kel is not about to back down from this challenge. Kel will do whatever it takes to prove she's just as good as any boy and she will become a knight. Follow Kel's story in the rest of the Protector of the Small Quartet: Page, Squire, and Lady Knight. For more on Tortall, check out Alanna's story in the Song of the Lioness Quartet. Read them all before author Tamora Pierce comes to visit the Eastgate Branch, March 10th!

Recommended for grades 4-10
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Regarding the Fountain

By Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
The water fountain at Dry Creek Middle School (formerly Spring Creek Middle School) is leaking and Principal Walter Russ is convinced that it needs to be replaced. So Secretary Goldie Fisch writes to Ms. Flo Waters of Flowing Waters Fountains, Etc. requesting a catalog. Instead of a catalog, Goldie receives a letter from Ms. Waters (Flo hates phones!) requesting permission to visit the school so that she can design a one-of-a-kind fountain just for them. First though she needs to know what the students want and that's where Mr. Sam N.'s class comes into the picture. Soon the letters (and the puns) are flying fast and furious and it becomes clear that intrigue is afoot. What happened to make the spring that used to run through Dry Creek dry up? Isn't it a strange coincidence that it happened the same year the Middle School was built? What is going on with the mysterious faxes between School Board President Sally Mander and local water company owner D. Eel? Will the school ever get their new fountain? Written in a style different from anything you've read before, Regarding the Fountain is a compilation of letters, faxes, message slips, newspaper articles, and one recorded conversation. You'll have so much fun getting to know the residents of Dry Creek and Flo Waters, that you'll want to read the rest of the series, too! Follow the adventures of Mr. Sam N’s class in Regarding the Sink, Regarding the Trees, Regarding the Bathrooms, and Regarding the Bees.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo
Edward Tulane is a very handsome china rabbit, but Edward knows that he is very handsome - which is not good for the soul. Ten-year-old Abilene is Edward's mistress who loves him very much and Edward knows that too, but doesn't think much of it. Shortly after Abilene's eleventh birthday, disaster strikes. On an ocean voyage, Edward is accidently thrown overboard by some very rude little boys, and so Edward's miraculous journey begins. Before his journey ends, Edward will have seen pain and sorrow and injustice, but also great love. He will have acquired many different names, changed clothes numerous times, and seen all sorts of different places, but most importantly Edward himself will find he has changed in ways he didn't even think possible. Join Edward on his journey and you may find yourself changed as well.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Bunnicula

by Deborah and James Howe

Our story opens on a dark and stormy night as the Monroes (names changed to protect the innocent) return from a showing of Dracula with a small bundle that is revealed to be a bunny. Soon Chester the cat is convinced that the newly named Bunnicula isn't just any bunny - but something far more sinister. The black markings that look like a cape? The vegetables that turn white with no explanation? The teeny tiny fangs where a rabbit's buck teeth should be? Could Bunnicula actually be a vampire rabbit? It's up to Harold, the canine writer and narrator of our story, to determine what's truth and what's the result of Chester's possibly overactive imagination. Only two questions remain: Will Harold find the answers in time and will readers ever be able to stop laughing?

For more fun with the Monroe family, try Howliday Inn (Harold and Chester find mystery and mayhem when they’re sent to Chauteau Bow-Wow due to the Monroes' vacation), The Celery Stalks at Midnight (Zombie vegetables anyone?) or any of the Tales from the House of Bunnicula series.

 

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

The Birchbark House

by Louise Erdrich
The Birchbark House takes us through a year in the life of 8-year-old Omakayas of the Ojibwa, or Anishinabe. It's 1847 and, while the chimookomanug (white men) are there on the outskirts of life, Omakayas' family has been able to keep their home and way of life - despite much talk of possibly moving west. The family lives in tune with the seasons and nature, particularly Omakayas who seems to have a special connection to animals. Just like most little girls, Omakayas finds her little brother annoying, worships and envies her older sister, and adores the baby. Summer and fall follow along like every year with chores and celebrations, but it is during the long, hard winter that tragedy strikes and Omakayas will have to learn whether or not she has the strength to save her family - and if she has the strength to save herself.  If you like the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, read The Birchbark House, and its sequels The Game of Silence and The Porcupine Year, for a glimpse of how just one Native American family of the same time period might have lived.

Recommended for grades 3-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Out of the Dust

by Karen Hesse
Dust. It's 1934 in Oklahoma and dust is everywhere. Billie Jo can't escape it. Dust is out in the fields killing the crops. Dust is in the house covering the floors, covering the table, covering the piano. Dust is in the food; regular milk looks like chocolate milk, everything seems to have pepper on it, but it's not pepper, it's dust. And ever since the accident that took so much away from Billie Jo, the dust is inside her too. All she wants is out. Out of the dust. Maybe the poems that she writes will help, but how can you escape something inside you? Using free-verse poetry, Karen Hesse tells the unforgettable story of two years in Billie Jo's life and how she finds her way out of the dust.

Recommended for grades 5-10
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Dial-A-Ghost

by Eve Ibbotson
Oliver Smith who has lived most of his ten years in an orphanage inherits his family's mansion, Helton Hall. But his greedy cousins, Fulton and Frieda Snodde-Brittles want Helton Hall for themselves, and they will inherit it if something happens to Oliver. The Snodde-Brittles decide to try to rid themselves of Oliver. They go to the Dial-a-Ghost agency and rent some ghosts who will scare Oliver to death. They then leave Oliver alone in the large mansion, to meet his fate with the gruesome ghosts. But a clerical error is made and the ghosts that come to Helton Hall are the lovely, kind Wilkinsons, who became ghosts when their home was bombed during WWII. The bloodthirsty ghosts, the Shriekers, end up at a quiet convent. This mishap leads to some interesting developments.

Recommended for grades 4-7
Reviewed by Alice Woertendyke

Rules

by Cynthia Lord
Everything is complicated for 12-year-old Catherine. She loves her younger brother David, but he's autistic which means he just doesn't understand some things and he's always embarrassing Catherine somehow. The new girl should be the perfect next-door friend Catherine's always wanted (next door means David doesn't have to come too), but Catherine seems to have so much more in common with Jason, a wheelchair-bound boy she met at her brother's therapy clinic, who can only communicate by pointing at speech cards. While Catherine understands that her parents struggle to keep up with David's needs, she needs them too, but how can she ask them to spend time with her, when she knows David needs them so much more? To help both herself and David figure out some of these confusing things, Catherine keeps track of rules. Some are the rules that David lives by like, "If you don't have the words you need, borrow someone else's. If you need to borrow words, Arnold Lobel wrote some good ones.” Some are Catherine's rules for things David can't figure out on his own like, "Keep you pants on! Unless Mom, Dad or the doctor tells you to take them off." But some are just Catherine's rules for herself like, "Pantless brothers are not my problem." The story of Catherine's summer is funny, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and one you'll never forget.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

by Jack Gantos
Both hysterically funny and heartbreaking all at once, Joey Pigza is a kid everyone can root for. When we first meet Joey Pigza, he is bouncing off the walls - literally! Joey is wired all the time, but especially in the afternoons, even though his medication is supposed to help him focus through the whole school day. Life is definitely never dull around Joey - you never know what he'll get into his head to do next: Sharpen his fingernails with a pencil sharpener? Pretend to be a tasmanian devil? Eat a whole shoofly pie and jump out of a hayloft? Swallow his house key? Joey's mom and his teachers do what they can to help Joey make good decisions, but these adults are far from perfect and they don't always know how to help. While Joey's adventures can be funny, they get more and more dangerous and soon he's landed himself in Special Ed - his last chance - what happens if he can't make it work? Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is an insightful look into the mind of a kid who's doing the best he can against the overwhelming odds of ADD and an unstable home.

Joey's adventures continue in Joey Pigza Loses Control, What Would Joey Do?, and I am Not Joey Pigza.

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Shakespeare's Secret

by Elise Broach
Hero's family has moved. Again. That means another new school where older sister Beatrice will fit right in while Hero will be, at best, ignored. It's bad enough that Hero has a funny name, thanks to her parents' interest in Shakespeare, but Hero doesn't have the personality to quickly make friends either. Things are different in this town though - Hero makes friends with her elderly next door neighbor (good), gets teased for having a dog's name (bad), catches the attention of the cutest boy in school (excellent, but scary too), and finds out that a diamond with mysterious connections to Shakespeare may be hidden in HER house (awesome!). Secret clues, close escapes, and the possibility of betrayal, mean that whether Hero can solve the mystery of the diamond or not, this won't be any ordinary school year.

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Rowan of Rin

by Emily Rodda
Rin is facing catastrophe - the river that runs through their village has gone dry, which means no water for the bukshah, the herd animals the villagers depend on. The river comes from the mountain, so the problem must be up there, but although many have ventured up the mountain, none have ever returned and all fear the dragon rumored to live at the top. Small Rowan, keeper of the bukshah and least of the villagers, through a strange series of events, becomes one of the seven who will attempt to unblock the river. Their only help in their task: poetic riddles and a map from the strange wise woman Sheba. Rowan fears they will be unable to figure out the riddles in time and more, he fears the future Sheba's words may reveal:
Seven hearts the journey make.
Seven ways the heart will break.
Short, but packed surprisingly full of discussion-worthy topics, Rowan of Rin is the first of five books about Rowan, the smallest and most timid resident of the town of Rin.

Other books in this series:
Rowan and the Travelers
Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal
Rowan and the Zebak
Rowan and the Ice Creepers

Recommended for grades 3-6
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Whales on Stilts

by M. T. Anderson
M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales series
Katie Mulligan and Jasper Dash are both stars of their own series of children's books - Horror Hollow and Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut respectively. So it's a bit of a surprise when it's their best friend Lily Gefelty, just an average 12-year-old, who discovers the mad scientist plotting to take over the world using mind-controlled whales on mechanical stilts. The three friends will have to work together using all their skills to stop this dastardly plot. Whales on Stilts has thrilling action scenes, fascinating science-fiction gadgets, nail-biting suspense and extreme silliness! What more could you ask for in a book? Well, I'm glad you asked, because I have the answer: a sequel! In The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen Katie, Jasper, and Lily have decided that after their whale adventure, they need a vacation - no mysteries, no monsters, no mad scientists! Especially Katie - she's ready to relax and just be a regular girl. But Katie's plans are destined for ruin, because no sooner have our heroes reached the Moose Tongue Lodge and Resort than the news spreads - the Hooper Quints (star of their own mystery series) have been kidnapped! Now whether the threesome wants to or not, they'll have to investigate, because who knows which series star will be next on the kidnapper's list! M. T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales are indeed full of thrills, as well as chills and laughter - don't miss them!

Books in this series:
Whales on Stilts
The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen
Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (available Spring 2009)

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker

Wait Till Helen Comes

by Mary Downing Hahn
Molly and Michael just can't get along with their new step-sister Heather. Heather's a brat who's always trying to get them in trouble no matter how nice they are to her.  Things get worse when they move to a church in the country, because in their backyard is a graveyard and in the graveyard is a mysterious grave with Heather's initials on it.  Soon Heather is being even brattier than usual and warning Michael and Molly that they better "wait 'til Helen comes" because then they'll be sorry.  Only Molly believes that Heather is seeing a ghost named Helen and is in danger of being possessed.  Is there really a ghost? Can Molly convince her family in time?  Will she be able to save Heather?  Does she even want to save the brat?  Curl up with this spine-tingler to find out!

Recommended for grades 4-8
Reviewed by Jennifer Baker