WHAT NEXT?
New installments in several series will sate readers—at least temporarily. Patrick Carman explores the storied past of Thomas and Roland Warvold in Into the Mist. This companion to the Land of Elyon trilogy provides a satisfying back story for those well-versed in the series as well as a good starting place for newcomers. (Scholastic Press, $11.99 304p ages 9-12 ISBN 978-0-439-89952-9; Sept.)
Another prequel, Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel, takes readers back 65 million years, to the prehistoric setting of his Silverwing series (PW called the first title in the series an “absorbing adventure story”). Here, Dusk, the very first bat, must defend his less-evolved brethren from feline attackers and lead them to safety. (HarperCollins/Eos, $16.99 432p ages 10-up ISBN 978-0-06-085054-8; Sept.)
In Powers, the third book in Ursula K. Le Guin’s Annals of the Western Shore series, a slave boy named Gavir struggles with his ability to see into the future and encounters familiar faces from the previous books. (Harcourt, $17 512p ages 14-up ISBN 978-0-15-205770-1; Sept.)
Fans of the Warriors books will excitedly delve into Firestar’s Quest, the latest addition to Erin Hunter’s bestselling series. In this “super edition” standalone story, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, discovers that the ancestral StarClan has lied to him, which leads him on a quest to uncover hidden secrets. (HarperCollins, $17.99 528p ages 10-up ISBN 978-0-06-113164-6; Sept.)
The antihero wolf of David Clement Davies’s The Sight (PW praised the book’s “clever plot twists” and “strong female characters”) returns in Fell. Consumed by guilt and pain over his sister’s death, Fell wanders the forests of Transylvania. But an encounter with a changeling girl leads him to embrace a destiny among humans. (Abrams/Amulet, $19.95 432p ages 12-up ISBN 978-0-8109-1185-7; Sept.)
Wild child V Valentine, who first appeared in Carolyn Mackler’s Vegan Virgin Valentine is back in Guyaholic. For the first time, V thinks she might actually like the latest boy in her life. But events send her on a cross-country road trip in an attempt to reconnect with her mother and discover her true self. (Candlewick, $16.99 192p ages 14-up ISBN 978-0-7636-2537-5; Sept.)
AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED?
Favorite picture book characters share in the spotlight once more. Like Baby Bear’s Chairs, Baby Bear’s Big Dreams by Jane Yolen, illus. by Melissa Sweet, focuses on Baby Bear’s sense that the world is meant for big bears. He spends the book dreaming, in couplets, about all of the things he will do when he grows up. But even as he envisions adventures far and wide, Baby Bear still takes comfort in returning home to be with Mama and Papa. (Harcourt, $16 40p ages 3-5 ISBN 978-0-15-205291-1; Aug.)
Peter Brown’s well-intentioned bulldog is back in The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder, in which he attempts to win the First Annual Fabu Pooch Pageant and a year’s supply of his favorite doggy snacks. Chowder’s attempts at fabulousness fall short, but the pup bounces back with a newfound talent. (Little, Brown, $15.99 32p ages 3-6 ISBN 978-0-316-01179-2; Sept.)
In Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping, Eileen Christelow’s latest book in the series, Mama takes her rambunctious brood to the store to buy school clothes. Despite Mama’s refrain—“Stay right here! And don’t go wandering off!”—the little scamps keep disappearing and reappearing, creating mass confusion (and teaching some basic subtraction and addition skills). (Clarion, $16 40p ages 3-6 ISBN 978-0-618-82161-7; Sept.)
Following in the footsteps of its bestselling predecessors, Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson, illus. by Jane Chapman, brings back Bear and company. When Bear comes down with a nasty cold, his friends work hard to make him feel better, though their roles soon reverse. (S&S/McElderry, $16.99 40p ages 3-7 ISBN 978-0-689-85985-4; Sept.)
The second title based on Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Violet Goes to the Country by Melanie Cecka, illus. by Emily Arnold McCully, is told from the perspective of Cynthia Coppersmith (one of Karon’s Mitford characters) and stars Violet, a little white cat. Violet is excited to take a trip to the country, but she has a run-in with cranky Uncle Leo, who “never was much of a cat person.” (Viking, $16.99 36p ages 3-up ISBN 978-0-670-06181-5; Sept.)
Hunter’s Big Sister by Laura Malone Elliott, illus. by Lynn Munsinger, heralds the return of Hunter, the raccoon. Even though they love each other, Hunter is frustrated that older sister Glenna is always bossing him around when they play make-believe. So Hunter begins to imitate his sister, leading to a (minor) accident and subsequent reconciliation. (HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99 32p ages 4-7 ISBN 978-0-06-000233-6; Sept.)
In a starred review of Pumpkin Soup, PW praised author Helen Cooper’s “uncanny ability to capture the dynamics of friendship.” In Delicious! Cat, Squirrel and Duck are ready to make their world-famous pumpkin soup again. But when no ripe pumpkins can be found, stubborn Duck turns up his bill at the other soups his buddies concoct. Included on the inside cover is a recipe for “pink soup,” made with beets. (FSG, $16 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 978-0-374-31756-0; Sept.)
Clorinda, who tried her hoof at ballet in Clorinda, dreams big once again in Clorinda Takes Flight by Robert Kinerk, illus. by Steven Kellogg. Observing a bird flying over the farm, Clorinda is determined to be the first airborne bovine. After several unsuccessful attempts, Clorinda finds herself aloft in a hot air balloon heading toward England. (S&S/Wiseman, $16.99 40p ages 4-8 ISBN 978-0-689-86864-1; Sept.)
Liz Murphy’s (ABC Doctor) new ABC book, A Dictionary of Dance, offers youngsters dance terms, pronunciation keys and definitions, one for each letter of the alphabet. Little dancers will learn words like “arabesque,” “leotard,” “recital” and more, giving them a basic vocabulary to discuss the dance world. (Blue Apple [Chronicle, dist.], $15.95 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 978-1-59354-613-7; Sept.)
As in Princess and the Pea (which PW called “an innovative interpretation of a timeless tale”), Rachel Isadora has adapted another classic to an African setting with striking collages in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. (Putnam, $16.99 32p ages 4-up ISBN 978-0-399-24744-6; Sept.)
PW wrote that Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery “balances tongue-in-cheek cheesiness and earnest enthusiasm... and is sure to please the Dinotopia crowd.” The sequel, Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates by Kevin O’Malley and Patrick O’Brien, finds Captain Raptor and his crew in galactic combat when marauders imperil planet Jurassica. Once again, the comic paneling and occasional full-page action spreads will make this an appealing read. (Walker, $16.95 32p ages 5-8 ISBN 978-0-8027-9571-7; Sept.)
Picture Book Reprints
Nursery Crimes Arthur Geisert. Houghton/Lorraine, $6.95 ISBN 978-0-618-95671-5. When turkey-shaped topiaries are stolen from the Jambonneau family’s nursery, the pigs set out to find the thief. In a starred review, PW wrote, “Geisert combines history, unique Midwestern color and fun in his simple yet snappy text,” and also praised the “intricate, evocative hand-colored etchings.” Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
The Train of States Peter Sís. Greenwillow, $6.99 ISBN 978-0-06-057840-4. “Sís’s signature fine black line limns entire vignettes while his watercolor wash adds depth and perspective” in this tour of the 50 states, wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 5-10. (Sept.)
Nonfiction Reprint
September 11, 2001: Attack on New York City Wilborn Hampton. Candlewick, $9.99 ISBN 978-0-7636-3635-7. New York Times editor Hampton’s account of the attack on the World Trade Center features “strong, and occasionally rawly emotional, reporting,” wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Fiction Reprints
Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything Lenore Look, illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. Aladdin, $4.99 ISBN 978-1-4169-5003-5. This sequel to Ruby Lu, Brave and True finds Look’s heroine navigating the adventures of summer and the arrival of her deaf cousin from China. Ages 6-10. (Sept.)
The Beasts of Clawstone Castle Eva Ibbotson, illus. by Kevin Hawkes. Puffin, $6.99 ISBN 978-0-14-240931-2. “Spooky hilarity is in store for fans of Ibbotson’s previous ghost stories,” wrote PW, as two siblings set out to rescue their uncle’s prized cattle from a villainous doctor. Ages 8-up. (Sept.)
Peter and the Shadow Thieves Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. Disney Editions, $8.99 ISBN 978-1-4231-0855-9. The sequel to Peter and the Starcatchers finds Peter and Tinker Bell in London seeking Molly’s help in defeating Lord Ombra, who is desperate to get his hands on magical missing starstuff. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Black Duck Janet Taylor Lisle. Puffin/Sleuth, $6.99 ISBN 978-0-14-240902-2. Rival gangs compete for bootlegging rights during Prohibition in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. PW wrote in a starred review, “This is a gripping tale of families and friendships stretched to the breaking point.” Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Enthusiasm Polly Shulman. Penguin/Speak, $7.99 ISBN 978-0-14-240935-0. When best friends Julie and Ashleigh crash an all-boys’ school in hopes of finding a modern-day Mr. Darcy, the two find themselves competing for the same guy. PW said that the novel is full “of witty exchanges, comic errors and miscommunications that could be taken right out of a Jane Austen novel.” Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
The Queen of Cool Cecil Castellucci. Candlewick, $7.99 ISBN 978-0-7636-3413-1. When It Girl Libby Brin befriends two outsiders at the Los Angeles Zoo, she realizes that being “cool” may not be all it’s cracked up to be. “Readers may well enjoy watching Libby grow up, and hope for more from this promising author,” wrote PW. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)
