The Hog Prince
by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Jason Wolff

In The Hog Prince, all Eldon Hog dreams of is being a prince. He enjoys watching the royal carriage pass by every morning with his best friend Petunia. Then, one day, a frazzled fairy named Miranda comes to tell him that if he can break the Hog Prince spell by kissing his true love, he will be a prince. Off he goes on search of that true love. None of the kisses breaks the spell; however, a kiss from Petunia does make him feel all fluttery. Filled with recognizable characters from children’s literature: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Mother Goose--all send wedding gifts. Recommended for grades K-3.--Tracy Taylor, MLS

Termites on a Stick
by Michèle Coxon

Michèle Coxon’s wonderfully written and illustrated book tells the story of a young chimpanzee learning how to survive with his mother’s guidance. An African rainforest is the setting as Little Chimp swings from tree limb to tree limb, plays with his friend, the baboon, and sits while his mother grooms him. Little Chimp watches his mother as she chooses a branch, tears off the leaves, and uses her stick to reach into a termite nest to get their dinner. Close-up illustrations show how the chimpanzees’ feet and hands can aid in this technique much like a human’s can. Little Chimp then goes on to follow his mother’s example, but finds that it is not as easy as it looks. He finally has success as he manipulates his stick and attains his own delicious meal of juicy termites. The story ends with both Little Chimp and his mother in their nest in the tall trees of the rainforest fast asleep. Coxon goes on to tell important facts about chimpanzees along with detailed illustrations of a chimpanzee’s handprint and footprint as well as an inside view of a termite nest.  This picture book would be a great read for an introduction or follow-up discussion to a trip to the zoo and the chimpanzee exhibit. Recommended for grades 1-3.--Jeanne Martin, M. ED.

Animal Tracks & Signs
by Jinny Johnson

Over 400 animals from the wild to your backyard are illustrated and discussed in this book along with their tracks and signs. Readers will love poring through the pages looking for their favorite animal to check out its tracks and signs indicating it has been in a certain area. Information and photographs on such species as the Tasmanian Devil and the Nile Monitor Lizard will pique interest and learning.  Real-life photographs of animals, habitats, tracks, habits, and young fill this science-related book to help students with projects, reports, and just-for-fun reading. A great reference tool for science classes to have in the school library and/or classroom! Recommended for grades 7-12.--JM

Marcelo in the Real World
by Francisco X. Stork

Seventeen-year-old Marcelo is presented with a proposition by his father: if Marcelo will work the summer in the mailroom at his father’s law firm, he may choose a school to attend his senior year. Suffering from a mild form of Asperger’s, he has had all his schooling in the nurturing environment of Paterson, a private school that educates children who have a variety of challenges and/or disabilities. Marcelo’s father would like him to go to a public school as a way to integrate into society more fully and grow as a person. At his father’s firm, Marcelo meets Jasmine, a girl who thinks and feels deeply, but does not suffer fools gladly. He also meets Wendell, whose desire to possess Jasmine opens Marcelo’s eyes to things both wretched and joyful. These feelings unsettle his world, but they are nothing compared to what affects him when he finds a photo in the firm’s files of a girl whose face is shattered. Marcelo investigates the girl, finding that she is the plaintiff in a lawsuit against his father’s biggest client. After this revelation, Marcelo’s feelings and actions bring him in closer connection to the real world, but not in the way his father planned.

Stork’s pure, engaging prose and three-dimensional characters make this novel an absolute triumph. The character of Marcelo is so wise, but child-like without being naïve--I’m half in love with him myself. In some ways Marcelo is so mature, but yet he must go through the same challenges we all do to be a successful member of our society. He must weigh the demands and choices between conscience, desire, loyalty, anger, and love. And while his illness isn’t the focus of the novel, though the way Stork describes Marcelo’s condition is completely absorbing, the reader comes away with a feeling of gratitude for the chance to have insight into his viewpoint. This is an immensely satisfying read.  Highly recommended for grades 9-12.--JB

Cracked Up to Be
by Courtney Summers

Perfect Parker Fadley used to be the queen bee of a Catholic high school; she captained the cheerleading squad, was the homecoming queen who dated the homecoming king three years running, and was a straight-A scholarship student.  But perfect Parker isn’t acting so perfect anymore. The beginning of her senior year finds her on a suicide watch, probationary academic status, and in a social limbo of her own making. She succeeds in distancing herself from all friends, family, and authority figures. But when Nick, a new classmate, decides to befriend her despite her off-putting, sometime offensive behavior, Parker finds she doesn’t have enough persistence to push him away. The strength of Summers’ novel is that the narrative is told from Parker’s point of view, so that the reader is privy to her pain, guilt, and doubts, making her a very sympathetic character despite her misanthropic actions. Parker’s angst is well justified as the plot and back-story unfold, giving the novel a highly compelling quality; teens will be hard put to put this one down before the denouement. Recommended for grades 9-12.--JB