All are invited to attend a talk by E.Lockhart at the Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814 on Thursday Feb. 16, 5pm. Copies of her books will be for sale through an arrangement with Politics and Prose Bookstore. She will sign books after her talk.
The Washington Children's Book Guild is hosting author Ruta Sepetys, author of the book Between Shades of Gray, a popular book among our group, at a luncheon at the Channel Inn in Washington D.C. on Thursday January 19. The meeting begins at noon and ends at 2 p.m. For details about Ruta's talk, luncheon options and the work of the Guild check out the guild's blog, www.childrensbookguildblog.blogspot.com
If you would like to attend contact member Edie Ching, edie.ching@verizon.net
This view shows all of the books in this age group that have been selected in years past and nominated for the current year (but not yet selected). The nominations are marked by a "Nomination(not yet selected):" label.
In 14 poems the voices of 14 different slaves are heard, describing the hardships of their individual lives and their dreams of freedom. The theme of quilt patterns is carried out in those dreams and in Michele Wood's powerfully living illustrations.
In a thoughtful presentation on possible animal extinction, the realistic illustrations of animals accompany text with information about some that no longer live on earth like dodos; ones that are threatened with extinction like tigers and polar bears; and others like buffalo whose populations have responded to intervention. Readers can either gloss over the information about these animals in a smaller and fainter font than the main text or gain an understanding of each animal’s origin. Backmatter includes websites and index. Seven to Ten. Lynda Adamson
Orphaned mice, husband-hunting humans, hilarious social snobbery, a posh ocean voyage, and adventure on the high seas...what more could you want in a single book? Richard Peck's range is seemingly limitless--and this historical fantasy only underscores his versatility. Murphy's delightful pencil illustrations are the icing on the (cliched) cake. Seven to Ten. Kristi Jemtegaard
Careful writing and beautiful illustrations relate the story of a boy who works with his father collecting ‘tears’ or tree sap. They sell their harvest of tears, which is actually myrrh, at the market to three magnificently robed men who are buying a gift for a baby. Linda Sue Park explains that this story came about because when she was a child she, like many, never knew what myrrh was. An abundance of Christmas books are published each year, but this one stands out as it tells the familiar story from a different perspective. Seven to Ten. Ruth Anne Champion
Ed Young weaves the tale of his own childhood in China in the safety of the "big brick house...with courtyards, gardens, a swimming pool" with cut and layered paper and textures, photographs, and a double-page foldout diagram of the house. Seven to Ten. Katherine Regeimbal.
Lucy Wu has the most perfect 6th grade year planned. Her perfect sister is going off to college, and the pressure to be more Chinese will finally be off. Then to Lucy's horror, her Great Aunt from China comes to stay. Wendy Wan-Long Shang's debut novel weaves a Chinese-American tale of fitting in and growing up. Seven to Ten. Donna Felsenheld
Two new boys in Margie's Year Six class draw her into their longing for their old Mongolian home and their fear of a demon which turns out to be deportation. Julie recalls her friendship with Chingis and Nergui, accompanying her narrative with the series of Polaroid photographs Chingis took to describe his homeland. Much is left unstated here. Like the empty space on the cover, it demands to be filled in. Seven to Ten (upper end).
When E breaks his leg, O must take his place everywhere until he recovers - ovon in tho toxt of this animatod book colobrating tho lottors of tho alphabot. A witty, clever celebration of the alphabet and English spelling, full of puns and humor appealing to a variety of age levels, told through Lichtenheld's ink, pastel and colored pencil cartoons and a straightforward third-person narration. Seven to ten.
A former search-and-rescue dog solves a missing chickens case in suitably hard-boiled detective fashion over twenty-three very short and funny chapters, complete with noir-style patter and lots of puns. Clever and satisfying. Seven to Ten. Annette Klause
A simple and beautiful look at this shape that occurs so frequently in nature, and seems to fascinate us endlessly. Starting small and expanding outward, only to curl back, Joyce Sidman's poetry reflects the nature of her subject. The art is simple, detailed, and spectacular. Seven to Ten. Nancy Schleh
