Children’s Book Reviews: Week of 5/28/2007
By Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 5/28/2007
Picture Books
CalendarMyra Cohn Livingston, illus. by Will Hillenbrand. Holiday, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-1725-4
Hillenbrand's (What a Treasure!) joyous mixed-media illustrations playfully beckon youngsters to skip through the 12 months of the year while reading this picture-book version of a poem first published in 1959 by the late Livingston. Employing kid-friendly metaphors, the brief text homes in on one central image for a given month. ("June is deep blue swimming,/ Picnics are July,/ August is my birthday,/ September whistles by"). Though the language is simple on the surface, Hillenbrand recognizes that it's rich with possibility as he depicts a chipper pigtailed girl enjoying each activity-and each month-to the fullest. Memorable scenes are aplenty: an April spread stars the protagonist in a yellow rain slicker observing her reflection in a sidewalk puddle and the dark silhouette of her family's Fourth of July nighttime picnic is set against an inky backdrop dotted with effervescent fireworks. Like the spunky heroine, kids may be similarly inspired to celebrate the wealth of diverse experiences that the changing seasons offer. Ages 3-6. (May)
Mama's SarisPooja Makhijani, illus. by Elena Gomez. Little, Brown, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-316-01105-1
Featuring a rich palette of colors and intricately detailed patterns, Gomez's (Through the Heart of the Jungle) realistic acrylic paintings deftly depict the lovely saris at the center of Makhijani's (Under Her Skin: How Girls Experience Race in America) simple story. On her seventh birthday, an Indian-American girl begs to wear one of her mother's saris, which she keeps in a suitcase under her bed. In evocative, lyrical language, the young narrator explains that, though her mother wears a sari only on special occasions, her grandmother wears them every day: "The folds and nooks of Nanima's saris hold lots of secrets. I always find coins tied into the ends and safety pins fastened on the inside, and I smell the scent of cardamom and sandalwood soap all over." As the youngster recalls the specific saris her mother has worn at various events, she tries to convince Mama that she is indeed old enough to wear a sari, and the woman finally relents. The girl selects a blue sari "with gold flowers that dance along the border," and Mama carefully wraps the fabric around her-and even lends her fancy bangle bracelets and places a bindi on her forehead. A final, affecting illustration reveals mother and daughter reflected side-by-side in a mirror, while the child (responding to her mother's question, "So, what do you think?") says, with obvious pleasure, "I think I look just like you!" Narrative and art pay satisfying tribute to a treasured tradition. Ages 3-6. (May)
A Kiss GoodbyeAudrey Penn, illus. by Barbara L. Gibson. Tanglewood, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-933718-04-0
In The Kissing Hand and A Pocket of Kisses, Chester the raccoon overcomes the traumas of going off to school for the first time and adjusting to a new brother. Here he faces a move, since the tree that is home to him, his mother and brother Ronny is being cut down. In rather overstated prose, his mother addresses Chester's reluctance to leave their beloved hollow: " 'I understand how you feel,' she told him in an understanding, motherly voice, 'but I'm afraid we all have to move.' " After the stubborn youngster questions what would happen if he refused to move, his parent cajolingly asks, "Aren't you afraid you'd miss us?" Chester wryly responds, "I'd miss you.... I'm not so sure about Ronny." Penn and Gibson resurrect their earlier books' popular power-of-the-palm-kiss motif as Chester, in a departing gesture, places "a gentle kiss on his palm and pushed it against the wall," while the accompanying illustration reveals glowing red hearts emanating from his paw. Not surprisingly, the skeptical animal finds a new friend immediately after moving into his new hollow and, scooting off to play with her, sends his mother a heart-projecting palm kiss and announces, "All right... I'll stay." Featuring a palette that varies considerably as the tale's scenarios move between day and night, Gibson's sharply focused art effectively conveys Chester's changeable moods. Its sometimes treacly tone notwithstanding, this tale, like its predecessors, should provide reassurance to kids facing a similar transition, as well as a useful starting point for adult-child dialogue. Ages 3-8. (May)
Skinny Brown DogKimberly Willis Holt, illus. by Donald Saaf. Holt, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-7587-8
Despite its appealing cover and pedigree, this story about a skinny brown dog who finds a home contains stiff paintings that effectively distance the reader from an otherwise gentle narrative. Saaf's (Hello, Hello) mixed-media paintings are not without charm, but his animal characters often seem to be placed atop their surroundings rather than being part of them. Benny the Baker, a lean polar bear, is convinced that he has no need for a pet ("Sorry, but a bakery isn't any place for a dog"). Still, Brownie makes himself indispensable: he retrieves Miss Patterson's dropped purse, does tricks for the children on "free broken cookie day" and brings help when Benny falls off a ladder and breaks his leg. While recovering from his injury, Benny finds that he's grown accustomed to Brownie's face, with its eyes as "dark as chocolate chips," and when a group of children visit him in the hospital, Benny concedes, "I miss the bakery. Especially Brownie." The sizes of Saaf's characters are not consistently rendered and the choice of making all the characters animals is perplexing-why is Brownie a pet when other animals are not? Holt's (When Zachary Taylor Came to Town) most animated and appealing character is the titular canine who sports an old-fashioned brown suit and a black derby hat, which he doffs most fetchingly. Ages 4-7. (June)
When Gorilla Goes Walking Nikki Grimes, illus. by Shane Evans. Scholastic/Orchard, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-439-31770-2
A girl's keen and loving observations of her audacious, "rain-cloud gray" cat-the Gorilla of the title-are the inspiration for this wonderful suite of poems by Grimes (Dark Sons). The book also serves as a kind of primer on poetry, proving that the medium is infinite in its versatility; Grimes offers up everything from multi-stanza paeans (both rhyming and not) to a sort of haiku ("Gorilla gazes/ into a puddle. Does she/ know she's beautiful?"). Her word choices are always lively and evoke an appropriately feline combination of affection and entitlement ("I scratch Gorilla's belly when/ she commandeers my lap"). Of course, it helps to have such a rich subject-Gorilla loves to fight with ivy, cuddle on a sick bed, interrupt homework, eat soul food and pine for a tom cat. Evans's (Here We Go Round) poster-like paintings are the perfect accompaniment-the illustrator beautifully captures the many moods of both the supremely confident Gorilla and her adoring mistress. A winner for youngsters, cat fans and poetry lovers of all ages. Ages 4-8. (May)
How to Bake an American PieKarma Wilson, illus. by Raúl Colón. S&S/McElderry, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-689-86506-0
Wilson's (Bear Snores On) metaphorical tale serves up a stirring if sometimes syrupy recipe for American pie, "first ever made on the Fourth of July." The bakers, a toque-wearing dog and cat, first follow instructions to "Preheat the world until fiery hot with a hunger and thirst to be free," then place the steaming globe into "a giant melting pot on the shores of a great shining sea." Featuring type of varying size, the rhythmic rhymed verse draws from familiar songs and documents to deliver the creative culinary directives, among them: "Pat out a crust of fruited plains, then spread it as far as you dare. Fold in some fields of amber grains, enough for all people to share." Other items added to the increasingly full pot are "purple mountain majesties," "cupfuls of courage," "sweet freedom for all" and "secret ingredients" borrowed "from Heaven above. The key to it all is to pour in the pot plenty of faith, hope, and love." Colón's (Roberto Clemente) inventive, etching-like ink and watercolor art contains more than a soupçon of surrealism and cleverly incorporates images of historical events, symbols and monuments. A crust rolled from "spacious skies" covers the expansive pie, which, when finally baked, is topped with images of the American flag and a handful of familiar landmarks. Deftly blended graphics and lyrics concoct a patriotic read-aloud to savor at any time of the year. Ages 4-8. (May)
On Meadowview Street Henry Cole Greenwillow, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-06-056481-0
The front lawn of Caroline's new home is like all the others in her cookie-cutter subdivision-it's a simple, sterile patch of green that falls far short of the "Meadowview" that her street name promises. But after she saves the yard's single wildflower from her father's lawnmower, Caroline is inspired to turn her lawn into a tiny nature preserve. Mom agrees to buy a maple tree, Dad is only too willing to sell the lawnmower and help his daughter build birdhouses and a pond and an idyllic habitat begins to take shape-one that inspires their neighbors. "And soon, the Jacksons' yard changed. And the Smiths'. And the Sotos'," writes Cole (On the Way to the Beach). "Now there really was a meadow on Meadowview Street." As a writer, Cole is almost reportorial in tone; he wisely chooses not to limn the depth of his heroine's emotional landscape, which could have turned his book into a sappy "kids-can-do-anything" story. But the growing lushness of the yard-beautifully portrayed in meticulously detailed, velvety acrylics-clues readers into Caroline's burgeoning sense of belonging and accomplishment. It's a lovely parable of suburban life. Ages 4-8. (May)
Tyger! Tyger!Elizabeth Stanley. Enchanted Lion (FSG, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59270-068-4
Stanley's (The Deliverance of Dancing Bears) solemn account of a tiger-sheltering Thai monastery uses a set of actual circumstances as the basis for a retelling that adds a spiritual dimension to the story. The book's afterword describes a real monastery northwest of Bangkok that raises orphaned tigers and plans to build a preserve for them, which will be protected by a moat. In Stanley's version, the tigers come to the monks through a kind of divine, animist inspiration. "Listen carefully, my friend," a disembodied voice says to one of the monks, "Our kingdom is in danger." The voice directs a young monk to two cubs hidden in the jungle. Later, the voice instructs the monks to build a moat to protect the tigers from poachers, and the construction goes more easily than the monks had anticipated. "The spirit of the jungle gods was with the monks," the narrator explains, "empowering them as they toiled." The story of the fight against the extinction of species is always worth telling, though a less heavy-handed approach might have allowed its truth and sacred significance to emerge on its own. The double-page, full-bleed pastels look right for a picture book for young readers, with skillfully drafted, jewel-colored spreads. A close-up of a dead tiger with a poacher's bullet hole through its head, though, seems to point to an older audience. Ages 4-8. (May)
Would I Ever Lie to You?Caralyn Buehner, illus. by Jack E. Davis. Dial, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8037-2793-9
My cousin Ed is such a tease;/ He says outrageous things with ease," opens Buehner's (Goldilocks and the Three Bears) kid-pleasingly silly tale. Ed utters the first of his questionable truths in "a voice that dripped with dread," warning his younger cousin that devouring the delectable-looking blueberry pie in front of him may have fatal consequences ("It's full of poison, through and through-/ It might just be the end of you!"). This tall-tale teller also informs the comically wide-eyed narrator that he had watched him hatch from "a big green egg in the cabbage patch," that his head is shrinking and that the creaking noise at night is "just the alligators going to bed." Alas, Ed sometimes is telling the truth when he utters the improbable (there are redwood trees big enough that a car can drive through them and you can hear the sound of the ocean when holding a seashell up to your ear), so the narrator never knows when to trust his cousin. The breezy, rhyming verse comes full circle: returning to the possibly poisoned pie scenario, the narrator slyly tops Ed's droll deceptions with a doozy of his own. Comical exaggeration abounds in Davis's (Moose Tracks!) zany cartoons, rendered in watercolor, acrylic, colored pencil and ink. Images of outlandish hair styles, wild facial expressions and other funny flourishes will keep youngsters chuckling. Ages 4-up. (May)
The Three Swingin' PigsVicky Rubin, illus. by Rhode Montijo. Holt, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8050-7335-5
Attempting to reverse the fortune of the three not-so-lucky little pigs of the classic fairytale, Rubin (Ralphie and the Swamp Baby) offers up an easygoing porcine trio, cast as cool jazz musicians with an enthusiastic following. The text is as smooth as the main characters, the token wolf dubbed the "baddest cat" and the pigs referred to as Satch, Mo and Ella (a nod to the great Armstrong and Fitzgerald). Unlike the wolf in the original tale, this one must go to great lengths to get hold of these starlets-his initial plan to devour them onstage is foiled when he can't get a ticket to their show. Montijo's (Cloud Boy) lively neon acrylics keep pace with action; some of the best feature fairytale cameos, as the wolf is shown offending Little Red Riding Hood with his "stinky breath" (a running gag throughout) or running off with a half-eaten Gingerbread Man. "What did you expect?" the wolf quips, "I'm a classic fairy-tale villain." Once the wolf finally gets his intended victims within reach, the self-assured piggies do the unthinkable by inviting him onstage-killing him with kindness, instead of a bubbling cauldron. The story ends on an upbeat note, as the newly formed quartet belts out a happy tune. Kids should get a kick out of this hip riff on an old standard. Ages 5-9. (May)
Midsummer KnightGregory Rogers Roaring Brook/Porter, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59643-183-6
Rogers's devious William Shakespeare is back, this time as a mutinous midsummer fairy, in this cheeky mock-Elizabethan sequel to The Boy, the Bear, the Baron, the Bard. All the first book's key players, like a professional thespian troupe, assume new roles in this wordless romp, with the golden-hearted Bear in the starring role and the Bard again playing a dastardly villain. In small print that doesn't intrude on an otherwise uncaptioned graphic sequence, Rogers writes, "The last time I saw my friend the Bear he was adrift on the Thames River, about to vanish under the arches of old London Bridge." Readers next see the sleepy brown Bear drifting in his rowboat and bumping ashore in an idyllic grove. In a perfect fantasy transition, the Bear discovers a tunnel and emerges in a parallel forest where he is of Lilliputian dimensions. After nearly becoming lunch for a hungry songbird, he is rescued by a child with antennae and fluttering wings and taken to a fairy castle. However, a vile coup has been instigated by the Bard, a fairy courtier with antennae and wings too. The heroes are thrown in the dungeon with the betrayed fairy king but inevitably escape; in a furious slapstick battle, the Bear helps restore the throne, earning his Midsummer Knighthood. Rogers expertly composes the fast-paced comic panels, specializing in towering bird's-eye views of the fairy forest and in crowded rooms busy with over-the-top silly action. Readers need not know the original story, but it adds to the fun of this rambunctious silent comedy. Ages 6-9. (May)
The Day the Stones WalkedT.A. Barron, illus. by William Low. Philomel, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-399-24263-2
Ably balancing fact and legend, Barron (the Great Tree of Avalon trilogy) sets this dramatic, crisply told tale on Easter Island centuries ago. Pico's mother expresses alarm at the ominous clouds above, observing that they are "just like the ones I saw as a child, right before the Great Wave." As she hastens to warn the villagers, the woman dispatches her son to tell his father to flee "to the highest caves." Pico finds the man on a ridge above the sea, carving an ear on one of the moai, giant ancient stones with hand-carved faces. The lad is skeptical of old stories maintaining that the moai come to life and help islanders in times of trouble. Yet his father, who is a believer, refuses to hide from what is indeed an approaching tsunami and tells his son that the imposing stones "are our ancestors. Our protectors". As the water rushes to the shore, Pico tries again to warn his father, but is swept up by the wave. Frantically trying to survive underwater, the boy grabs on to a submerged moai and it suddenly seems to shift beneath him and carry him to dry ground. Low (Henry and the Kite Dragon) deftly integrates light and shadow into his grainy paintings, which strikingly contrast the fright of the flailing, near-drowning boy and the steadfast, comforting presence of the powerful stones. In a concluding note, Barron sheds historical light on the mystery of Easter Island's moai and on theories behind the "self-inflicted environmental disaster" that may have wiped out the island's original inhabitants. Ages 6-up. (May)
Fiction
Ellie McDoodle: Have Pen, Will TravelRuth McNally Barshaw. Bloomsbury, $11.95 (176p) ISBN 978-1-58234-745-5
Barshaw's debut children's book, a paper-over-board volume, replicates the sketchbook of 11-year-old Ellie McDougal. Her surname nickname reflects her love of doodling, which she does a great deal of in these, unfortunately somewhat repetitious, pages. While Ellie's parents are away, she and her baby brother join their aunt, uncle and cousins on a camping trip. In line drawings accompanied by often acerbic commentary, the aspiring artist chronicles the ups and downs of this week-long expedition, which initially entails far more downs than ups. For starters, Ellie points out that her aunt is in a "perpetual bad mood" and all of her three cousins "are pains," especially Eric, whom she refers to as "Er-ick" and describes as "a nose-picking, booger-slurping, bug-infested parasite." Ellie's depiction of him (through most of the book) as a six-armed monster grows tedious, as does the incessant bickering between the two cousins. More diverting are the young journalist's descriptions of such family activities as catching frogs, visiting an animal museum, taking a nature walk, star gazing and tossing water balloons. She also offers instructions for playing a handful of games. Predictably, as the vacation ends Ellie admits that she has had more fun than she'd expected and, on a list of things she learned during the week, includes a nugget of wisdom: "No girl is an island. We're all in this together. Might as well try to get along." Ages 8-12. (May)
The White GiraffeLauren St. John, illus. by David Dean. Dial/Walden Media, $16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-8037-3211-7
St. John, whose author's note explains that she grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe that was partially a game reserve, brings characters and setting to life with equal clarity in her debut children's book. Her tale centers on recently orphaned Martine, who moves from England to South Africa to live with the grandmother she's never met. The woman, whose husband died at the hands of animal poachers, owns Sawubona, a game reserve and wildlife sanctuary. Soon after the 11-year-old's arrival, a Zulu healer with second sight tells the girl that she has a special gift and warns her that it "can be a blessin' or a curse. Make your decisions wisely." The perceptive woman also mentions there are "too many secrets at Sawubona"; indeed, Martine's many questions to her stony grandmother are met by a "wall of silence." Martine is intrigued by rumors that an elusive white giraffe resides on the grounds of the reserve-a local legend holds that the child who is able to ride a white giraffe will have power over all the animals. When she encounters the gentle creature one night, she feels an immediate bond and even knows what he's thinking. And though it comes as no surprise that she is the youngster capable of fulfilling the legend, St. John provides plenty of unexpected twists. For his part, Dean contributes charming watercolor illustrations that open each chapter. A fast pace, strong supporting cast and ample drama-including an especially theatrical finale-will serve the story well in its film adaptation, which Walden Media is developing with Twentieth Century Fox. Ages 8-up. (May)
Letters from the Corrugated Castle: A Novel of Gold Rush California, 1850-1852Joan W. Blos. Atheneum/Seo; $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-0-689-87077-4
Told through a series of letters and newspaper dispatches, Newbery Medalist Blos's (A Gathering of Days) latest novel recounts the excitement and dangers of San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Believing herself an orphan, Eldora has lived with an adoptive family, the Holts, in New Bedford, Mass., since she was three years old. The Holts move to San Francisco to take advantage of Gold Rush prosperity, where they learn Eldora's mother is still alive; soon after, 13-year-old Eldora and her mother, Mrs. Ramos, are reunited. (When Eldora was a girl, her mother was stricken with cholera on a sea voyage and was forced to send her daughter on without her-when her father could not be located, Eldora fell into the Holts' care.) At her mother's suggestion, Eldora moves to San Pedro where her mother, now a wealthy landowner, lives and runs an inn. Through the letters Eldora writes to her cousin Sallie back in New Bedford (and letters Eldora receives from Luke, whom Eldora met in San Francisco), readers will learn about the perils, dreams and daily routines that were part of these pioneers' lives. With her mother away so often tending to business, Eldora grows lonely and yearns to return to San Francisco and to her life with the Holts. Suffused with a wealth of period details and language, this quiet, reflective tale is an appealing glimpse into the adventurous spirit that pervaded this chapter of American history. Ages 10-14. (May)
The Ghost in Allie's PoolSari Bodi. Brown Barn, $8.95 paper (184p) ISBN 978-0-9768126-6-1
Bodi's affecting debut novel balances a familiar fictional theme with an inventive historical premise. When Marissa abandons Allie for two new best friends, Allie muses, "They're beautiful and great lacrosse players. They're also kind of mean. In our school, you can't get any cooler than that." Hurt, Allie throws out her window her half of the best-friends charm she shared with Marissa and it lands in the swimming pool. When she decides to rescue it from the water, she hears a voice imploring her not to jump. She looks up to find Dorothy May, who jumped off the Mayflower to her death because her husband, William Bradford, did not love her. She tells Allie, who is descended from Bradford and his second wife, "I am a friend come to be of assistance to thee." Through her research for a family-tree project and her conversations with Dorothy (who reappears repeatedly, each time summoned by an image of water), Allie learns a great deal about the harrowing crossing of the Mayflower, about 17th-century life and about the anguish and desperation of Dorothy, who was forced to leave her young son behind in England. Dorothy also provides Allie with friendship that she desperately needs, particularly when she discovers just how mean Marissa's new friends can be. Allie's crisp narrative lends credibility to both strains of plot, each of which comes to a satisfying conclusion. An intriguing postscript: Bodi is a descendant of Bradford's second wife and her first husband. Ages 10-up. (May)
Finding StinkoMichael de Guzman. FSG, $16 (144p) ISBN 978-0-374-32305-9
As De Guzman's (The Bamboozlers) dark yet hopeful tale opens, a teen leaves her newborn in the lobby of a posh apartment building. She named him Newboy "because he was starting out new. All she wanted was for his life to be better than her own." But placed in the state's child-care system, Newboy is shuffled from one foster home to another and is branded a troublemaker for his frequent attempts to run away. At the age of nine, the boy stops talking ("He didn't do it on purpose.... He just opened his mouth one morning and nothing came out"). Three years later, Newboy sneaks out of his 11th foster home and heads to a nearby city, where he crawls into a dumpster to sleep. Amidst the garbage, he finds a battered ventriloquist's dummy and names him Stinko. Suddenly, Newboy can talk-in the voice of Stinko-and is delighted to be able to have a conversation ("What difference did it make if he was holding both ends of it?"). Using this dual-voice device to create revealing dialogue between the two personae, the author inventively fleshes out the youngster's character. Life on the streets has its perils-Newboy mistakenly trusts the scheming, dishonest leader of a group of young runaways and is stalked by the nasty foster parents from whom he escaped. Yet through his rapport with Stinko and several new homeless friends, Newboy finds confidence, happiness, hope and his own voice. The lad's plaintive musings about his mother's whereabouts and fate adds a tender note to this creatively layered, touching story. Ages 10-up. (May)
A Darkling Plain Philip Reeve. Harper/Eos, $18.99 (576p) ISBN 978-0-06-089055-1
Reeve's massive, ambitious Hungry City Chronicles series roars to a fine conclusion in this fourth installment. War is raging between the Traction Cities and the vicious Green Storm, but Lady Naga has brought about peace negotiations. Loyalists to the Stalker Fang still move about, though, and young Theo is enlisted to get the Lady Naga to safety. Meanwhile, Tom Natsworthy and his daughter Wren learn that there is movement within the smoldering, immobile ruins of London; they return to their old home to learn that a New London is being secretly built, a levitating city with no need for wheels-and no jaws for devouring other cities. Elsewhere, the Stalker Fang has activated a doomsday weapon called ODIN, with the intent of blackening the entire surface of the Earth, so that it might one day be green again. Battle sequences are punctuated by a sudden switch to present-tense prose, lending a sense of immediacy to the conflicts; the finale is poignant, and it elegantly references the opening lines of the first book in the series. Taken as a whole, the Hungry City Chronicles is a remarkable body of work, one that stands beside The Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials in terms of re-readability and scope. Complex, intelligent and rewarding, Reeve's world is truly one to get lost in. Ages 12-up. (June)
The Black SheepYvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout. Hyperion (352p) $15.99 ISBN 978-1-4231-0156-7
Reality TV and environmental activism give a trendy spin to Collins and Rideout's (the Vivian Leigh Reid series) cheery fish-out-of-water romance. Selected to star in a reality show called "The Black Sheep," Kendra swaps her sterile, rule-bound Manhattan existence for the Mulligan family's hippie-ish and chaotic household in Monterey, Calif., where she spends nearly every waking moment being trailed by a TV crew. Despite this lack of privacy, Kendra manages to keep secret her prickly-at-first romance with the Mulligan's eldest son, Mitch, an aspiring marine biologist. Partly to impress Mitch, but mostly because she finds herself truly caring, Kendra becomes involved with a sea otter preservation group, and even organizes a demonstration to safeguard the animals' habitat. Meanwhile, the show's megalomaniacal producer Judy, in search of ever-higher ratings, manufactures a conflict that results in the viewing audience voting to decide if Kendra should divorce her parents. In a neat summation of just how unreal reality TV can be, her alleged desire for emancipation is broadcast to the nation in a statement composed entirely of quotes taken out of context. Kendra's bright and breezy first-person narration moves things along at a rapid clip and the larger-than-life personalities and plot are balanced by her heartfelt reflections on family and fame. Ages 12-up. (May)
The Noah ConfessionsBarbara Hall. Delacorte, $15.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-385-73328-1
Part murder mystery, part family drama, this fast-paced read is the eighth novel by the creator of the now defunct TV series Joan of Arcadia. For her 16th birthday, Lynnie Russo assumed she'd receive a car, like all the girls at her snooty Los Angeles prep school. So when her father gives her one of her dead mother's charm bracelets along with a mysterious letter she had written to a man named "Noah" when she was 16 herself, Lynnie is shocked-and sorely disappointed. But she soon realizes that there is more to the gift-and to her family's history-than she could have imagined. Soon Lynnie discovers that "Noah" is really her father, and as she reads more of her mother's letter, she is confronted with a grotesque secret: "My grandfather was a murderer. He killed a girl with his bare hands. My mother saw it. She never told anyone. Except Noah." Hall's knack for spinning a suspenseful tale is evident; she ably uses both the letter and an extended flashback from Lynnie's father's perspective as tools to delve into Lynnie's psyche and showcase her vulnerability. A few scenes verge on the overly campy (including a dream sequence involving Lynnie and her deceased mother), but readers will gladly gloss over them to get to the good stuff. Ages 12-up. (May)
My Mother the CheerleaderRobert Sharenow. HarperTeen, $16.99 (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-114896-5
Set in 1960, Sharenow's debut novel begins just after the Supreme Court ruled segregation unconstitutional and Ruby Bridges became the first black student to attend William J. Frantz Elementary in New Orleans's Ninth Ward. Louise Collins is an overworked, 13-year-old loner who helps her alcoholic mother run a Ninth Ward rooming house, Rooms on Desire. After her mother pulls her out of school to protest integration, Louise has more time to assist with the boarders. (Louise notes that "my first reaction to the news that William Frantz was to be integrated was to wonder why the Negro kids wanted to go to such a crummy school.") Additionally, Louise's mother joins The Cheerleaders, a group of women who line up at the entrance of the school every morning and verbally harass first-grader Ruby, screaming racial epithets and even threatening her life. Into this tumultuous environment comes Morgan Miller, an attractive, educated book editor who resides in New York City but was raised in New Orleans. Miller has come to make peace with his brother, but he stirs up romantic feelings in both Louise and her mother and gets them to slowly reconsider the racial attitudes they've heretofore accepted. Through inquisitive Louise's perspective, readers get a wrenching look at the era's turmoil and pervasive racism. As secrets about Louise's family are revealed and Miller's attitudes attract the attention of local Klan members, teens should remain riveted right through the devastating conclusion to Sharenow's promising work of historical fiction. Ages 12-up. (May)
Strays Ron Koertge. Candlewick, $16.99 (176p) ISBN 978-0-7636-2705-8
After his parents die in a car crash, 10th-grader Ted is placed in foster care. He is sent to live with the Rafter family, where he gains two foster brothers: C.W. and Astin. Although his new home is only six miles from where he grew up, it feels light years away from his previous life. Ted's birth parents ran a small pet shop and he often believed they cared more for the animals than they did for him; at his old school, his social awkwardness left him friendless. But while Ted finds the Rafters themselves to be a bit odd (Mrs. Rafter keeps a doll in her bedroom, unable to recover from the loss of a child), his new foster brothers like him, especially Astin, a talented mechanic, who mentors him on being more outgoing and approachable. Ted's attempts to come to terms with both his parents' death and his new life are aided by his ability to communicate with animals, which often serves as a source of comfort. A sparrow encourages him to "think about something else," and a lion at the zoo suggests, "What you need, Theodore, is a pride. If you can get some females to hunt for you, that's all the better." Readers will root for Ted as he learns how to feel comfortable both around other people and in his own skin. Using deft touches of humor and an element of the supernatural, Koertge (Boy Girl Boy) delivers a stirring account of a boy's rise above difficult circumstances. Ages 14-up. (June)
Nonfiction
Taj Mahal Caroline Arnold and Madeleine Comora, illus. by Rahul Bhushan. Lerner/Carolrhoda, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-7613-2609-0
One of the world's architectural wonders takes center stage in this exquisitely illustrated story about its history and lore. With abundant detail and poetic license, Arnold (The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers) and Comora (George Washington's Teeth) recount the legendary love story behind the Taj Mahal (which means "crown palace"). Shah Jahan builds the spectacular monument to entomb and immortalize his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died at age 39 shortly after childbirth. An emperor in the Mughal Dynasty in 17th-century India, "Shah Jahan spared no expense. Pearl white marble was brought from quarries in Jodhpur... crystal came from China, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan... sapphires and quartz from the Himalayas." Bhushan's debut picture book's extraordinary paintings echo the floral motifs and symmetry of the famous mausoleum. Intricate, narrow borders of tiny gold flowers within ribbons of ruby red or forest green surround and connect text boxes and illustrations. In several spreads, concentric borders give the impression of framed art. Larger floral- and pastoral-patterned backdrops in muted gold bleed off each page. The scenes themselves, which have a formal, portrait quality (many of the faces are flat and in profile), are filled tiny details, from jewels and luxuriously textured fabrics to elaborate battle dress. In the wedding parade scene, nearly a hundred individuals in miniature occupy a courtyard, each wearing a finely drawn costume. Facts about the royal family and the Taj Mahal, as well as a bibliography, wrap up this nonfiction narrative, though it's the artwork throughout that is sure to amaze. Ages 5-up. (May)
