The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Ten year old Lucky, who lost her mother due to a senseless accident and whose father disappeared shortly after that, lives with her French guardian Brigitte in Hard Pan California, (pop. 43) She becomes consumed with the notion that Brigitte, who happens to be her father's first wife, will decide to return to France and leave Lucky to be raised in an orphanage.

Lucky secretly listens to discussions of various anonymous 12-step groups as she does her job of clearing debris from the patio of the Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center. After listening to their stories, she decides that like many of them she needs to find her own higher power. She also decides that she must run away from Hard Pan, even though it means losing her close friend, Lincoln, who may be the most talented knot-tier in the world and turning her back on five-year-old Miles who just seems to want cookies and be read to, Are you My Mother?

Patron paints characters whose feelings seem genuine and easy to relate to. Even though Lucky faces tough problems she has a refreshing innocence.A few Internet references, such as e-bay and online correspondence courses are the sole things that reminded this reader that the story is a contemporary one. Maybe it’s the small town of 43 that makes Hard Pan and its citizens seem like a story from the past.

A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama by Laura Amy Schlitz

The story opens with 11-year old Maud Flynn singing in the outhouse of the Barbary Asylum for Female Orphans. Attracted by her beautiful voice and small size, elderly Hyacinth Hawthorne adopts Maud and takes her home to the other old maid Hawthorne sisters. Soon Maud learns that she will be expected to participate in the family business of duping the bereaved through sham seances. At first Maud has little problem with this arrangement, eager as she is for Hyacinth's love and approval. Later, she meets a wealthy victim of her deception and begins to feel guilty. A near-tragic fire reveals who really loves "plain, clever, and bad" Maud, and the happy ending is assured. As promised in the title, melodramatic touches abound, but so do charming turns of phrase. The strong, likeable heroine and the remorseless villainess and their story are well worth the time it takes to read the 389 pages.

Max's Words, by Kate Banks

Pictures by Boris Kulikov.

Max decides to collect words: small words, bigger words, words that make him feel good, things to eat, favorite colors, and words he doesn’t know. Unlike his brothers’ stamp and coin collections, his words can form thoughts and once he has a story started, his brothers want to join in the fun. Words that appear cut out of newspapers and magazines take shapes on the pages: pancakes, crocodiles, alligators, and iguanas and build into stories. It will be hard not to give students scissors and magazines and let them find their own words and stories.

Grades 1-4

Blood On the River: James Town 1607, by Elisa Carbone

The story of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown is told from the point of view of twelve-year old Samuel Collier who serves as a page to Captain John Smith. The harsh circumstances of the journey and settlement, the controversial character of John Smith, and the relationships with the native Americans are seen through the eyes of the young Samuel.

This is an outstanding example of historical fiction including a map, afterword, Author's Note as well as sources for each chapter. Actual quotes introduce each chapter.

Many of the descriptions of the harsh conditions, illness, and violence are quite visceral. Grades 5-8.

Visit the author's website for more information and a study guide:
www.elisacarbone.com

Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth

Illustrated by John Lawrence

A beautifully written description of the life of a male Barbour's sea horse evolves into a description of the life of one of his daughters. Additional facts about sea horses are provided in blue ink against a lighter blue water background. Includes index.

The illustrations are incredible. The backgrounds are woodcut prints with vinyl prints for the foreground. The simple color scheme, drawn from the colors of a coral reef (blue, aqua and red) portrays the richness of the underwater scenery.

Children will find the facts of the sea horse's life very interesting. The index is comprehensive for such an artistic picture book.

starred SLJ, starred Booklist

One Green Apple by Eve Bunting

Illustrated by Ted Lewin

This first person narrative describes a field trip to an apple orchard that Farah takes on her second day of school in her new country. Farah understands much more of what she sees than her teacher and classmates give her credit for. They don't understand why she chooses a green apple when the others are picking ripe red apples, and one classmate tries to stop her from adding her apple to the cider press. The apple becomes a metaphor for aculturation and a symbol of triumph when she says her first "outside myself" word.

I've been a foreign student without any knowledge of the language and this book rings true. Bunting is a master at packing a lot of meaning and depth into sparse language. The beautiful watercolor illustrations capture the expressions of the students superbly.

Recommended Levels: 1-6

SLJ, starred in Booklist.

Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

On a full-moon night, the bats in the attic go to the beach, taking with them everything that human beach-goers do: towels, beach bags, books and plenty to eat. The fun is in how the bats adapt our notion of a beach trip to their own situation and preferences--Bain de Lune moontan lotion, toasted marshmallows with protruding insect legs, sand caves, and much, much more. The story is told in rhyme. The superb illlustrations are detailed and add gentle humor to a story with which any family beach-tripper can identify.

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea by Sy Montgomery; photographs by Nic Bishop

This latest entry in the excellent "Scientists in the Field" series tells of a scientific expedition to study the elusive tree kangaroo. High resolution, brilliantly colored photographs pair well with a beautifully written narrative. The author accompanies scientists and native guides on an arduous trip into the isolated cloud forest of Papua New Guinea to search for, capture, and study these rare and endearing creatures. Montgomery has a knack for knowing just the sorts of details that will fascinate young readers. There is much here to entice students to think of science as an exciting adventure. The book has a place in all science classes from grades 5-8 for its demonstration of how the scientific method works in the field. Its Asian setting also lends itself to use in 7th grade social studies classes.

El Lector by William Durbin

El Lector is an historical novel set in the hispanic community of Ybor City in Tampa, FL in 1931. The story revolves around a family steeped in cigar rolling business that was a crucial part of Tampa's economy. Central to the story, and the culture, is The Lector, a man whose job it was to read to the cigar rollers all day as they worked. Bella, the teen-aged granddaughter of the current Lector, is coming of age in a tumultuous era. The advent of the radio seems to pose a threat to her family and the culture of the Lector, while labor issues are wreaking havoc in the community, as well.
Durbin does an excellent job of painting a picture of the hispanic immigrant community in Depression Era Tampa, as well as tell an engaging story of family, culture, and the need and ability to change.

Recommended grade levels: 4th-8th.

Winter is the Warmest Season, by Lauren Stringer

A young child shares how winter is the warmest season: hats with earflaps and fuzzy boots, grilled cheese and hot chocolate, and hot baths and pajamas with feet. Ice and snow frame the warm inside scenes of fireplaces, friends, and curled up cats in bright acrylic doublespread illustrations. The rich descriptive language contrasts the warmth of winter with summer cool downs. A delightful seasonal choice for sharing. Classrooms could use the book for a model for another book: "Summer is the coolest season," or other creative fun with opposites.

Egg

In addition to Flotsam and Moses, I really like An Egg Is Quiet.

Max's ABC by Rosemary Wells

Most ABC books illustrate letters of the alphabet around a theme. This one takes the genre a step further and tells a story. Ants escape from Max's ant farm, so he and his sister Ruby devise ways to eliminate them. Unfortunately, the ants enjoy each attempt. G is for "Go away ants," while S is illustrated in part by "We are Smarter than those ants." Each page features bright colors, large letters, and pictures large enough for sharing with a group. There is a typo on the M page where a word has been left out, but over all this is a funny and clever approach. Kids will love it when Max gets ants in his pants. This book is tailor made for preschool and kindergarten classes.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil by Wiley Miller

Miller's first book for children holds their attention with classic archetypes. There's the naif-becoming-hero, Ordinary Basil, bored with his snowy Maine existence. It's 1899 and Basil lives in a lighthouse. He knows some kids would find that alone exciting, but he feels there's something missing in his life. Enter his new guide and mentor, Professor Angus McGookin. McGookin introduces Basil to Helios, a city in the clouds that represents the best of human acheivement. Formerly known by names like Eden and Atlantis, Helios must be protected from earth-dwellers who would exploit the technology for evil ends. Basil meets Louise, a strong, intelligent girl who nonetheless becomes a damsel-in-distress. And eager readers are thrilled when the vanquished villain, Professor Von Rottweil declares "I vil haf my revenge!" (My son cheered and said, "That means there'll be another one!")

Miller's illustrations have been compared to Edward Gorey, but his characters lack that certain "creepiness" found in Gorey. (My 4-year-old did find the faces to be a little disturbing--I don't think it would be a problem for Elementary-aged children.) The pen and ink drawings are very evocative of the late nineteenth century.

NCSOS tie-ins are in Elementary English Language Arts and the Technology strand of the Elementary Social Studies curriculum. It makes a great read-aloud. You can also give it to those upper elementary readers who are having trouble sustaining interest in longer fiction. Reading Level: 5.6 (Follett) 128 p. Color Illustrations.

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

A fictionalized account of Harriet Tubman's real and spiritual journey North to freedom. Weatherford's prose flows like poetry. A foreword offers background information on slavery and the author's note at the end gives factual information about Tubman's life. Nelson's illustrations vary from hazy silhouettes to detailed scenes in a way that gracefully enhances the text. NCSOS tie-ins are at Second, Third and Eighth Grade Social Studies. There's enough sub-text here for it to be appropriate at all those grade levels, and even through high school. SLJ starred review.

Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became An Inventor, by Emily Arnold McCully

As a child, Mattie Knight loved to play with tools and invent toys and other useful devices for her brothers and widowed mother. Her mechanical abilities and perseverance also led to other inventions most notably a machine to produce square-bottomed paper bags. The story underscores the difficulties the inventor faced as a woman as well as her ingenuity and perseverance. Watercolor illustrations and small sketches of many of the inventions further illuminate the text.