Duck Duck Moose
by Dave Horowitz

How often have you played Duck Duck Goose? What about Duck Duck Moose? While this is not a new version of the game, it is a fun light-hearted look at going on vacation and bringing a little bit of it back with you. Moose loves living in the Great North Woods. He has Bear to play with and a Pancake Hut where he eats. However, when winter comes and Bear goes to hibernate while Pancake Hut closes for the season . . . well, what’s a Moose to do for fun? He decides to head south with Duck and Other Duck to see what Florida is all about. Definitely contains child appeal! For ages 5 to 8. (Tracy Gallagher, MLIS)


The Mitten
by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

One of my absolute favorite stories to use in creative dramatics, this new version of The Mitten from Jim Aylesworth reads well and is charmingly illustrated by Barbara McClintock. The story of a boy who loses his mitten while out playing in the snow . . . which makes a snuggly warm home for several chilly animals--and the results of one too many animals attempting to fit in . . . makes for a fun winter storytime. Even if you already own a version by Jan Brett or by Alvin Tresselt, you owe it to your collection to consider this one as well. For ages 5 to 8. (TG)


Sky High: The True Story of Maggie Gee
by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Carl Angel

One of only two Chinese Americans in the WASP program of World War II, Maggie Gee’s life story relates the importance of having dreams and following them. Every Sunday as a child, Maggie and her family would go to the airport to watch the planes take off and land. Dreaming of flying herself, she would make up stories for her siblings about all the places she would go. Her mother and grandmother didn’t believe her. However, while in college the opportunity arrived and Maggie went to flight school. Not only did she succeed at becoming a pilot, she also joined the army, became a physicist, and today is active in local politics. An inspiring story for every child. For ages 6 to 9. (TG)


How to Build Your Own Country
by Valerie Wyatt, illustrated by Fred Rix

What a great group project this book provides for addressing multiple intelligences in a heterogeneous classroom! Valerie Wyatt guides her readers through three steps in creating a country of their own. Fact boxes with information pertaining to international countries are scattered throughout the book thus connecting this project with the real world. Students will enjoy taking part in creating an anthem, designing a flag, and writing a constitution for their very own country. What form of government their country will have as well as the laws to help govern the people will be the next step. And let’s not forget the economy and whether the government should be involved or not!  This title is a neat way to present a project to students rather than the old standby of handouts. Teachers as well as students will find this a fun title to use in a social studies setting.  For ages 8 through 11.  (Jeanne Martin, M.ED.)

Callie’s Rules
by Naomi Zucker

Random House has added a new imprint to its lineup, Egmont USA, which features an impressive array of established and new authors. Zucker’s Callie’s Rules is one of the new offerings from Egmont, and it is a charmer. Eleven-year-old Callie, whose full name is Callopie Jones, is just starting middle school and finding all new sets of written and unwritten rules to follow. Bewildered by all the conventions she is supposed to conform to, Callie decides she is going to make her own rulebook, but laments that nobody follows her rules, even though she has to follow everyone else’s. The most recent rule Callie resents is the Town Council banning Halloween and instead celebrating “Autumn Fest,” where there are no witches or goblins or trick-or-treating. Callie doesn’t take this lying down however, and the reader follows her through her own petition to get Halloween back, and when that doesn’t work, outsmarting the Council in performing a “spooky” play for the townspeople after their Autumn Fest.

Callie is a wonderful and believable character who has all the self-consciousness of adolescence but brave enough to stand up and speak her mind. Zucker does a fantastic job of illustrating a common experience of puberty--how mortifying one’s family can be by virtue of just being themselves, but absolutely loving them the way they are.  Although occasionally Callie sounds a bit mature in her diction and psychological understanding of others, this book is a solid choice for young readers who get fed up with stupid rules, and want to see the rules get their comeuppance. Recommended for ages 9 to 11. (Jill Barton)


The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing
by Suzanne Jurmain

Suzanne Jurmain tells the story of four American army doctors (led by Maj. Walter Reed) and one Cuban doctor and their quest to determine the cause of and cure for yellow fever. This true medical mystery begins in the summer of 1900 when the doctors sail to Cuba after American soldiers stationed there fall ill with yellow fever. When popular theories prove false, the doctors turn to what was considered the most far-fetched of all the theories: that mosquitoes were transmitting the disease. They subject themselves and paid volunteers to bites from mosquitoes that have bitten confirmed yellow fever patients. Supplemental materials include an appendix, glossary of scientific terms, chapter notes, bibliography, and index. If reading about mosquito-borne illnesses doesn’t make you itch, the life-size mosquito drawings on most of the pages sure will! This book is recommended for ages 11 through 15. (Becky Walton, MLIS)
I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure
edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith

As the editors explain in the preface, the notion of telling a story in six words dates back to Ernest Hemingway who met a challenge of writing a six-word novel. This book collects almost 800 contributions from young adults to SMITH Magazine’s solicitation for six-word autobiographies. The results are surprising. There are the usual, perhaps expected, tales of summer romance, sibling rivalries, and unrequited love. But there are also deeper, more serious stories that show amazing insight, stories of pain, hopes, fears, dreams, worries, spirituality, and thoughts of death. Which six words tell your story? For young adults ages 13 and older. (BW)


The Demon King
by Cinda Williams Chima

Cinda Willilams Chima has given us a winner of an adventure fantasy and, happily, the start of a new trilogy. The narrative chronicles the coming of age of two vastly different characters, Han and Raisa, with two vastly different roles in life--one is the former lord of street gang trying to stay out of the life, the other the princess heir to the queendom of the realm. Han’s problems center around trying to keep out of trouble, keep himself, his sister and his mother fed and safe, but also trying to find a life to belong to. Raisa, on the other hand, is attempting to forge her own way to a new vision of the queendom. While these two have mostly separate story lines with rich character development, when their stories collide Chima sets the stage for a great saga with the potential for great romance. I’m already looking forward to the next installment of the trilogy! Give this one to your fantasy patrons that were taken by Kristin Cashore’s Graceling after they’ve read the new prequel to Graceling, Fire, also due out in October. Highly recommended for ages 14 to 17. (JB)


Stitches
by David Small

This somber memoir grips the reader from beginning to end, making it highly unlikely one will remain unmoved by this graphic novel. In gut-wrenching vignettes, David Small shines light on the tragic lack of communication between his parents and himself, the emotional starvation he endured, the cancer that for a time stole his voice, and his overwhelming desire to be an artist. His parents belonged to a generation that reined in their emotions and kept secrets at all costs, making them incomprehensible to him. Revelation and redemption come at the end with Small’s endnotes based on discoveries he made as an adult about his parents and their respective worlds. These discoveries help shed understanding and meaning on his lost childhood. For ages 14 and up. (Jeannine Wiese)


My First Time
Preschool-Grade 1

Young children experience change all the time. Sometimes this is easy to handle, sometimes it calls for a period of adjustment. Having an opportunity to introduce and discuss the more serious changes provides a more stable environment for the child. Sam is a young boy who learns about living with a new baby, having a friend’s parents become separated, and how to act around strangers in just three of the titles from this series. Using these books, parents and teachers will be able to start discussions when appropriate. (TG)


Our Multicultural World
Grades K-4

The world is at our front door step nowadays with people being so transient from continent to continent.  Children often wonder why others are not like them. This series of four titles introduces the concepts of different cultures, religions, and how we can all work together to make our planet Earth a great place for everyone! Bobbie Kalman does a great job in explaining how children all over the world are alike and different in what they practice and believe and the respect that should be given to all. (JM)

Louder Than Words
Grades 8-12

The titles in this new series are young adult memoirs, written by teens who have stories to share with others who may be struggling with life issues ranging from illness to the divorce of their parents. Marni Bates is one such young woman. A strained, unfulfilling relationship with her father and social difficulties in school may have triggered her trichotillomania, compulsive hair pulling. Marni tells her story with insight, honesty, and humor. She doesn’t dwell extensively on her condition, so a wide range of young ladies will likely relate to her story, from the awkward conversations with boys to fights with her sister. Girls going through difficult situations of their own may find comfort and reassurance in these stories. (BW)
The Solar System
(3 volumes)

Earth and its universe fascinate the budding scientist as well as the scholar. While more exploration occurs and research becomes available, our libraries should have the best and most up-to-date information for our students. To meet this need, Salem provides this encyclopedia with a unique comprehensive collection of 180 essays.  The special features include wonderful illustrations, a category index, robust bibliographies and Web resources, a glossary, and complete subject index.  Students will find a user-friendly layout with clearly defined sections within each essay, for example, the “Significance” which states the value and breadth of our knowledge. These fantastic features and Salem’s solid experience prove this encyclopedia should be available in all high school libraries. (Dr. William R. Taylor)