| Ingram’s Collection Suggestions |
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| Picture Books |
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The Growing Story
by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Krauss' delightful story makes a comeback with winsome new illustrations. Spring arrives and a little boy is observing the animals and plants around his country home. He sees that new baby plants are growing, the grass is growing, and the trees are putting out tiny leaves. He and his mother put away his wool jacket for the summer. As the days go by, the boy sees the baby chicks growing up, his puppy getting gangly, and the trees sprouting fruit. His mother assures him that he is growing too, but he can't see any evidence of it. Finally, in the fall when his winter clothes are brought down off the shelf, he gleefully looks at them on his new tall body. The pants won't button and the sleeves and legs are wonderfully short. Oxenbury paints soft, lush scenes of the seasons, huggable animals, and an endearing child. Perfect for preschoolers.--Susan Johnston, MLS
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Imagine Harry
by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise
In another common childhood theme, Little Rabbit has an imaginary friend, Harry, who does everything with him--sledding in the snow, swimming in summer, sitting next to Little Rabbit at the table, and sleeping right beside his bed. When he goes off to school for the first time, Little Rabbit's mother agrees that Harry can go, but he'll have to be very quiet and not insist on his own seat. Little Rabbit and Harry agree, and all goes smoothly. In fact, Harry is so quiet and so undemanding that after a long time, when Little Rabbit has lots of friends at school, his friend simply moves away to a place with no phone. And he doesn't read or write, “So I guess we won't be hearing from Harry anymore,” reports Little Rabbit when his mother inquires. Sarah Klise's familiar rabbit characters inhabit the pages, while her deep palate is reassuringly soft, deep, and homey. Just the thing for preschoolers getting ready to start school, whether or not they have an imaginary friend.--SJ
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The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups
by Cece Meng, illustrated by Janet Pedersen
A library book adventure. A young girl tells what is wonderful--and not wonderful--about many unexpected things, beginning with getting hiccups during a library story time. “The wonderful thing about quiet places is that they make loud hiccups sound even louder.” Hiccups lead to other things, including being surprised by a hippo. (“Hippos are the best way to carry your library books.”) Things get more complicated as the girl, her library books, and her little sister ride home on the hippo. Descriptions of what is or isn't wonderful get delightfully extreme and silly, and most of it involves the library books. In the end, the proud girl returns the books on time (in amazingly good shape, considering their adventure) and proves that she is ready for a library card. A humorous list of Library Book Rules follows the story, while the bespectacled, gray-haired librarian sits reading a book on sky diving. For ages 3-7.--SJ
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Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug
by Mark Newgarden and Megan Montague Cash
Newgarden and Cash have a lot of fun with a wordless book in comic book format. Bow-Wow, a little yellow dog, gradually wakes, yawns, and goes to find his breakfast. Before he is finished eating, a small black oval spot appears in the air and drops to settle on the edge of his dish. His reactions vary from a frown to a tentative tail wag as the spot moves away from him. He follows it suspiciously out the door and down the street. Visual jokes abound, as the small dog tails the bug (revealed close-up to be a flea). A fat lady flies away in a panic at the sight of the flea; the dog meets another dog and as they sniff each others' behinds their fleas do the same; a giant dog comes along following his own giant flea. Children ages 4-8 will enjoy “reading” and chuckling over this book time and again.--SJ
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| Middle Grade |
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Where I Live
by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by Matt Phelan
Spinelli and Phelan (illustrator of the latest Newbery award winner) have created a highly appealing new book for grades 2-4. While it's not a typical early chapter book, Spinelli's vocabulary and free verse diary format make it a fast, approachable read. Diana writes entries about the joys and traumas of her daily life, during a time when her family moves to another city and she must leave behind her very best friend and all that is familiar. Some entries are only a few lines, while others are a page or two. Phelan's soft, sketchy pencil illustrations abound, not only breaking the text but adding a great deal of expression and character. Girls in particular will adore this spunky character and this charming book.--SJ
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Edward's Eyes
by Patricia MacLachlan
From the very first paragraph of MacLachlan's prologue, something of a mystery is presented while the reader is gripped with tantalizing glimpses of absorbing characters and relationships. Chapter One begins the story proper, in which young narrator Jake talks about life with his remarkable younger brother, Edward. Jake is the next to the youngest in a large family, and when Edward is first brought home from the hospital, Jake is inexplicably and deeply moved by looking into the baby's eyes. From that moment on, Edward becomes the center of Jake's life. Jake is his companion as he grows into a brilliant child with a special sixth sense and a unique set of abilities combined with a total lack of fear. Then another child, Sabine, is born and becomes as special to Edward as Edward is to Jake--and the story wends its circular way back to the prologue, ending with powerful impact. MacLachlan has a way of writing about extraordinary people in a way that makes them absolutely solid to the reader. She may have herself another Newbery here.--SJ
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Night of the Howling Dogs
by Graham Salisbury
Dylan is hiking with a Boy Scout troop in Hawaii, heading out across a perilous volcanic mountain. Along for the weekend is Louie, a threatening older teen who has it in for Dylan. The exotic scenery and the challenging trek down the mountain to a breathtakingly beautiful beach is darkened with Dylan's fear and anger toward Louie, who taunts him endlessly. Tension mounts as the younger boys take off with the two chaperones to work on badges, leaving four older boys on their own. But the danger that does arise is unexpected and terrifying, presenting the kind of dilemma that brings out the best or worst in each of the characters. Booktalk this riveting tale to adventure lovers in grades 4-7--they'll love you for it.--SJ
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My Mother the Cheerleader
by Robert Sharenow
Sharenow, a writer and producer of television shows tries his hand at writing a novel and scores a winner with this historical fiction from the era of Ruby Bridges. Louise Collins is the neglected daughter of a woman who owns a run-down boarding house in New Orleans, and who goes with her friends each day to heckle Ruby as she walks into William Frantz Elementary School. The women are dubbed “The Cheerleaders.” Louise knows of no one who believes in integration, including the African-American cook/housekeeper who serves as her surrogate mother. But when Morgan Miller, a debonair stranger from New York City, takes a room for a few days, both Louise and her mother are highly enamored. Raised in New Orleans, Miller has moved away to become a news writer with more progressive views than those with which he was raised. Now he returns to make amends with an alienated brother, and in the process manages to raise the ire of local hoodlums who consider him an uppity meddler. A dramatic crisis causes Louise to step outside her own comfort zone and see her community with new eyes. This page turner is a great tie-in for studies of the Civil Rights era. For grades 6-9.--SJ
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| Young Adult |
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Rucker Park Setup
by Paul Volponi
“Street agents are fishin' for a piece of every kid with a future on the court… I've seen them turn a poor kid's head with a new pair of sneaker.”
Mackey, tagged “Hold the Mustard,” has long awaited the day he could play in the annual basketball tournament at Rucker Park. He's trained for hours over the years with his best friend, J.R., hoping that this game would be the beginning of his dream: to play college basketball before hitting the pros. This year, he and the Greenbacks will face Non-fiction, a team trying for their fifth championship. But this is not the way it should be with J.R. dead, stabbed to death on the court in front of him just days before. And everyone--especially J.R.'s father--isn't buying his story on how it all came down. When the first jump ball is tossed, Mackey faces the game of his life and the challenge to set things right.
This first person narrative in the present tense adds immediacy to story, and, through flashbacks, the events triggering the devastating murder--and Mackey's role in it--are painfully revealed. Readers will empathize with him, a poor kid who foolishly took a bribe to throw the game and could not find an escape from its ramifications. Each dribble, each pass, each throw propels this tense drama forward at the pace of a well-played game. Set in Harlem's famed Rucker Park--a playground basketball court--sports fans will equally be swept along with the references made to the legends (Wilt Chamberlain who went on to play NBA) and the assorted good players who showed what they had and became street legends. The use of authentic dialogue cements a sense of place and grounds the novel. Well-fleshed out characters portray this original view of street life in urban America. Volponi, author of Black and White and Rooftop, is a writer to watch. This is sure to score points with your readers Grades 7 and up.--Cheryl Karp Ward, MSL
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Strays
by Ron Koertge
For all of his 16 years, Ted has been bullied. Kids call him “Litter Box O'Connor” or “kitty litter,” or say that he smells like a cat. His parents, owners of a pet shop, are no help and more concerned with the rescued menagerie of stray dogs, cats, and birds living in the house. His begging to move so that he can attend a new school and start over again is met with indifference. The animals with which he regularly communicates provide his only friends and his only comfort. Then, fate steps in and his parents are tragically killed, leaving him feeling guilt-ridden by this ironic event as well the fact that he has been constantly annoyed and disappointed with them. As a ward of the state foster care system, he is sent to live with the Rafters, foster parents with semi-psychotic behaviors. Sharing the house are Astin--a Harley riding, smooth dude due to “age out,”--and CW--an African-American trying to decide between being hip or being square. All around him he sees other “strays,” those kids who are also homeless or friendless. Belle's parents travel as a team of Doctors Without Borders; Wanda's parents (after hitting the lottery) pack up an RV and head off for adventure; Megan's mother is always away “trying to reinvent or to find herself.” As they form a pack, their support helps him to face the painful reality of his loss, accept the shortcomings of his parents, and find a sense of himself.
Koertge, author of the acclaimed Stoner & Spaz, The Arizona Kid, and The Brimstone Journals, presents a beautifully structured book. As the story evolves, Ted delicately fleshes out his deceased parents and reveals the events of his life and the circumstances of their death through a skillful use of flashbacks. Parallels are often drawn with some aspect of animal behavior. Each remembrance, each observation, and each reflection pierce at the reader's heart as one watches this gentle boy come of age. A totally satisfying read highly recommended for high school students.--CKW
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Beige
by Cecil Castellucci
When Katy's mother sends her to Los Angeles to spend two weeks with Rat, her father, she isn't thrilled, simply dreading every moment. What could she possibly have in common with a man she hardly knows, an aging punk rock band drummer for the infamous band Suck and recovered drug addict? After all, she is a good girl, a neat freak who never veers from the straight and narrow road. Why, she's so dull and her life is so uneventful, she's almost beige. And, he is not, living in chaos and surrounded by colorful really cool people. But it is only for two weeks. Then, the unthinkable happens: her mother plans to leave her there for the whole summer. How will she survive in his world?
Castellucci has written another read rich in sense of place in the third book of her highly acclaimed L.A. Trilogy. Teen narrator Katy is a gem. Contemporary in flavor, her dialogue is witty, intelligent, and insightful as she slowly acclimates to this totally foreign world of late nights, loud music, and anything but ordinary. Supporting characters of various ages add the necessary realism and provide the perfect compliment to this terrific coming of age story.
Fans of the previous titles, The Queen of Cool and Boy Proof, will not be disappointed in this final installment. Suitable for high school readers, grades 9 up.--CKW
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| Graphic Novels |
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Mouse Guard
by David Petersen
Despite the recent discovery of mysterious mouse evidence in my kitchen linen drawer and the resulting challenge to seek out and block all tiny entrances, David Petersen's noble and endearing, furry Guard won my heart. This graphic novel is set during medieval times in the year 1152. Readers meet Lieam, distinguished by red fur and a green cloak, Kenzie with gray fur and a purple cloak, and Saxon with brown fur and a red cloak. They are part of an elite mouse corps whose duty it is to serve as scouts, escorts, pathfinders, and body guards protecting the mice living in their territories from all threatening evil. Although the tale is set in a time of apparent peace, there is still plenty of day-to-day danger, suspense, intrigue, and betrayal as the Guard searches for a missing comrade, all the while confronting monstrous predators and, worst of all, traitors from within. Skilled with swords, battle-axes, and bows and arrows, these tiny mice wield a mighty force in the face of danger. As the mood changes and the frenzy for survival intensifies, so does Petersen's use of color and light. Danger diminishes the light, giving way to the gloom and menace of darkening shadows leading to almost total blackness. Bright, clear, full-color frames give way to those with an ancient weathered look in faded shades of mauve or red-orange streaked with lighter lines of rain. The concluding frames reflect a foreshadowing of future danger depicted in shades of gray with dark beastly silhouettes looking at their victim and the reader.
David has a winner here. Readers will delight in this creative 8x8 hardcover fantasy that is strongly recommended for all graphic novel collections for youth through adult. Suggest it especially to fans of Brian Jacques' Redwall.--Jeannine Wiese
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Re-Gifters
by Mike Carey, art by Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel
DC Comics is on to something with its new graphic novel imprint if its first two titles are the rule and not the exception in its proposed line-up of titles. Re-Gifters, the second Minx title from DC Comics, will delight teen girls this June.
Not being a martial arts enthusiast--nor one who seeks out action graphic novels--I must admit I ventured into this second title with less enthusiasm than I had with The Plain Janes, Minx's first release. Much to my surprise, I found myself smiling throughout the story, truly enjoying every page. I'm not sure how Carey so perfectly tuned into the mind of a teenage girl caught off guard with her first love, but he does. Dik Seong Jen, “Dixie” to her friends, finds her head so messed up with thoughts of surfer boy and fellow hapkido student, Adam. It affects everything important to her: her attitude toward her best friend, her family, school, and even her disciplined skill as a hapkido martial artist. Dixie is a lovable young lady despite her series of bad decisions. She digs herself into a very deep hole, but Carey does not leave her there. The old saying, what goes around comes around, is cleverly played out in a most satisfying, high-spirited manner. New friendships and love develop, old ones are strengthened, honor and self respect are restored, and all the while, gifts are received and re-gifted with varying degrees of sincerity. I highly recommend this for all YA graphic novel collections in both public and school libraries.--JW
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