PSLA 

    YA TOP FORTY

FICTION 2002 TITLES

*Alexander, Lloyd.  The Rope Trick.  New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2002. 0-525-47020-4. 195p. $16.99. Gr.4-7. At 79, Alexander can still cast a spell full of magic, adventure and romance.  Belittled by her father, Lidi sets out to prove that she is a great magician, by learning the rope trick from master magician, Ferramondo. With the fatherly Jericho, the child-seer Daniella, and the handsome outlaw Julian, Lidi travels through medieval Italy, performing in villages along the way.  Alexander skillfully weaves several stories together:  Lidi’s quest to find Ferramondo, the budding romance between Lidi and Julian, and the final showdown between Lidi and Scabbia.  Back to the proverbial wall, Lidi’s only way out is the rope trick.  When she “goes through the threads” of life, Lidi and her friends are able to climb the rope to a new land, where they are greeted by Ferramondo himself.  The abrupt, mysterious ending is intriguing, and invites reflection on Alexander’s themes:  reality and illusion, love and faith.  Fantasy                 Jennie Pittman

Anderson, Laurie Halse.  Catalyst.  New York: Viking, 2002.  0-670-03566-1.  232p. $15.29.  Gr. 7-12. This tearjerker begins with Kate, a conscientious student who has placed enormous pressure upon herself to be accepted into MIT (her deceased mother’s alma mater).  Kate is not accepted into MIT and she must come to grips with various issues in her life that she has been avoiding.  Just as Kate is dealing with her disappointment, Kate’s father, a minister, invites a girl who is a classmate and her younger brother into their home after their house burns down.  Soon Kate’s focus is off of herself and on her classmate and her brother.  Through this relationship, the author illustrates how easy it is to not know someone just on surface.  Catalyst is sadly realistic.  Students who may not associate with Kate’s performance as a student will begin to associate with her as she grows. This book will be an easy sell and the characters will remain with the reader for a very long time. Karen Hornberger

 *Armstrong, Jennifer.  Shattered: Stories of Children and War. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002. 0-375-81112-5. 166p. $15.95. Grades 5-8. Jennifer Armstrong assembles twelve different stories written by prominent authors that focus on young people affected by war. A few of the entries, including Dian Curtis Regan’s story of a modern day military coups in which one can view an airplane dog fight out of the window and on television at the same time and Graham Salisbury’s tale of ROTC members defending Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor place the protagonist in the midst of the action.  Other stories include the haunting affects on the children of war’s victims, including a story of a young boy developmentally disabled from the effects of Agent Orange on his father, a Vietnam veteran.  Although these stories are mostly fictional, each includes a footnote providing factual notes on each conflict dramatized. Fiction, short stories, war.  Ann Wade

Bagdasarian, Adam.  First French kiss and other traumas. New York: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 2002. 0-374-32338-0.  134 p. $16.00. Gr. 6-9. Adam Bagdasarian divides this book into five “Life and Times” segments that set the scene for the stories that follow.  The title story “first french kiss” tells of twelve-year-old Will’s first make-out session, the pleasure and surprise of his first french kiss and how he shares this event with his buddies with humor and sensitivity. These stories cover the gamut of a young man’s coming of age; being popular, being unpopular, going steady, breaking up, fighting and sibling relationships.  These fictionalized autobiographical stories are told with a sense of humor and self that middle school/junior high boys will relate to easily.  Many will work as read alouds. Interpersonal Relationships/Coming of age – Story Collection         Sandra Krieg

Barker, Clive.  Abarat.  New York : Joanna Cotler, 2002. 0-06-028092-1.388 p.  Gr. 7-12. Clive Barker serves up a bizarre upbeat fantasy that transports Candy Quackenbush, of Chickentown, MN, into the mysterious archipelago of Abarat.  With an island for each hour, and one for time out of time, Candy finds chilling adventure at every turn, and gets caught up in a monumental battle between the Lord of Midnight and Rojo Pixler.  Add eight-headed John Mischief and you won't be able to wait for the planned three sequels.          Pat Naismith

Barnes, John. The Sky So Big and Black.  New York:TOR, 2002. 0-7653-0303-5.  315p. $24.95. Gr. 9-12. Fifteen year old Teri and her father, ecological prospectors on the planet Mars, escort young people on a special training trip.  A sunburst occurs and many, including her Daddie.  Science fiction lovers will enjoy how Teri survives and the triumphant restoration of the endangered planet.   Science fiction.     Donna Darmofal

*Barwin, Gary. Seeing Stars. Toronto: Stoddart Kids, 2001. 0-7737-6227-2. 182p. $7.95. Gr. 7-10. 15-year-old Alex has the responsibility of looking after his mother, who took to her bed when his father left twelve years before and hasn't left it since.  His mother earns their living as a psychic and runs the "Starbright" Psyhic Hotline from her bed. Alex tries to find his father through the Internet, but his search is detoured when he clobbers a bully with his saxophone case and skips school for a few days. A strange cross-country adventure follows , and reveals the old tragedy that drove Alex's father away.  Alex eventually finds his father and gets help for his mother. Family               Nancy Chrismer

*Bauer, Joan. Stand Tall. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002. 0-399-23473-X. 182 p. $16.99. Gr. 5-9. Tree is thirteen, “six foot three and one half inches and still growing,” and not all that athletic, which poses a problem when the basketball coach expects you to lead the team to victory.  Basketball is only one small part of Tree’s problems; his teachers expect him to be more mature because of his height, his parents are getting divorced and his grandfather has just had part of his leg amputated because of an old war injury. Tree meets Sophie, a new girl at school and their friendship helps him come to deal with the changes in his life.  This story takes a realistic look at family idiosyncrasies with humor and care.  This story will appeal to female and male middle school students.      Sandra Krieg

Beale, Fleur.  I Am Not Esther.  New York: Hyperion, 1999 (1st American ed., 2002)  0-7868-0845-4. 250 p. $15.99. Gr. 7-10. This book will appeal to students who love The Giver and other stories about controlled societies.  Esther Pilgrim, known as Kirby Greenland, is forced to live in her uncle's home in rural New Zealand when her mother decides to do missionary work in Africa.  When she arrives, she finds an ultra-religious family, all with biblical names, and no television, radio or books other than the Bible.  She is expected to dress in homespun, wear her hair in a severe braid, and associate only with her cousins and others of the same religion.  Her attempts to find her mother fail until she befriends the school counselor who starts an investigation. Family Relationships, Realistic Fiction.  Pat Bender

*Bechard, Margaret.  Hanging on to Max  Brookfield, Conn: Roaring Brook Press, 2002.  0-7613-2574-3.  142 p. $17.18.  Gr. 7-12. Here is a story that will not collect any dust!  Our two copies keep going out to our high school and our middle school.  This story is about a high school senior, Sam, who decides to keep his son after his girlfriend chooses not to marry Sam or raise their son.  Sam has many responsibilities and choices as a single father in high school.  This is a straight - forward story about Sam and Max and the choices that change both of their lives forever.  All readers will enjoy this story and this will be an easy sell for reluctant readers.  This is the type of story that will prompt many discussions.  Karen Hornberger

1 of 3 *Black, Holly.  Tithe: A Modern Fairy Tale.  New York:Simon & Schuster, 2002.  0689849249.  $16.95.  320 p. Gr. 9-12 . Kaye, a 16-years-old Asian blond, doesn’t know she is really a pixie. The novel begins in a “divey” Philadelphia bar, where Kaye’s alcoholic rock-singer Mom’s boyfriend attempts to kill her.  The action moves back to Grandmom’s house in New Jersey, as Kaye reunites with real-world childhood friends and former “faerie friends” in the gritty blue collar community of smoking, drinking, and drop out teens.   One night on the way home from a party turned ugly, Kaye bumps into and rescues a beautiful knight with silver hair. Kaye soon discovers she is not human, but a changeling, a pixie green one at that.  She straddles the ugly real New Jersey world and the new, but equally dark world of warring faerie communities as she deals with her sexual awakening and love for Roiben, the knight.  This one will be gobbled up by Francesa Lia Block fans.  Though it lacks Block’s strong lyrical language, it has a story that will satisfy the many punk fantasy fans out there.  Fantasy/Fairy Tale          Joyce Valenza  

2 of 3 *Black, Holly. Tithe: A Modern Fairy Tale. New York : Simon & Schuster, 2002. 0-689-84924-9.310 p. Gr. 8-12. As if having an alcoholic wannabe rock star mom isn't enough for 16-year-old Kaye, she has been tapped to be a human sacrifice in a war between two warring faerie courts.  But is she really human?  A stunning first novel for newcomer Holly Black.                        Pat Naismith

3 of 3 *Black, Holly.  Tithe: A Modern Fairy Tale. New York:  Simon & Schuster, 2002.  0-689-84924-9. 310 p.  $14.40.  Gr. 9-12. Tithe is an amazing, vivid fantasy world.  In Tithe, all preconceived ideas about the world in which we live are broken.  The book focuses on a teenage girl named Kaye, who in her life knew fairies as a younger girl.  Her broken family and mother, who is self-abusive, makes Kaye very self reliant and strong.  As the story progresses, Kaye is reunited with her fairy friends, who she thought were just figments of her imagination.  Kaye meets a fairy who is on the bad side of fairyland and needs her help.  This book blends fantasy and reality in such a way that anyone will believe that fairies can live with us.  I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in fantasy.  It pulls you in and somehow you must finish the book without putting it down.  With subjects ranging from an alcoholic mother, parental neglect, love, drinking, drugs, raves, and fairy balls, this book has something for everyone. Palisades High School Student

Brenaman, Miriam. Evvy’s Civil War. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002.  208 p. 0-399-23713-5 $18.99 Gr. 6-8. Set in 1860’s in Virginia. For her 14th birthday Evvy gets all the trappings of a young lady.  How unsettling! How confining! How limiting!–corset, fancy hairstyles, unwieldy hoop dresses.  Conflicts abound.  Although Evvy and her sisters are educated, treatment of women in general is poor.  There is a near rape of a slave girl by a cousin that sets even more tensions.  Evvy finds out that her parents have been helping slaves escape. Her Quaker cousins arrive from Philadelphia to assist her mother after yet another pregnancy. The war comes to Virginia and the men must go.  The women find their place, but it is difficult.  All the time Evvy is fighting her own war while she learns that though she is limited as a lady, she can still fight in more subtle ways. Historical Fiction Coming of age, Women’s Rights, Underground Railroad       Jeannie Bellavance

Brennan, Michael. Electric Girl Volume 2. San Francisco: AiT/Planet Lar, 2002. 0-9703555-1-3. 168p. $13.95. YA Michael Brennan, artist and writer, combines issues 5 through 8 of his comic-book stories involving Virginia who is not your average teen!  Thanks to her electric powers, her dog Blammo, and a life long gremlin friend named Oogleeog whose job is to cause mischief, Virginia’s life is a fun chaos to watch.  Brennan’s cast of characters is upscale and multiethnic. The basic story line revolves around Virginia’s attempts to minimize the impact of the gremlin in her life, while the electrical powers serve as a subplot. The book parodies the conventions of superhero comics and comic-book culture while addressing of some of the difficulties that teens often experience.  Because of the steadily growing popularity of graphic novels, Electric Girl is a welcomed addition to the young adult collection.  Graphic novel         Ann Wade

Brockett, D.A. Stained Glass Rose: A Historical Novel.  Montrose, CO: Western Reflections, 2002.  143 pp. 1-890437-61-1.  $14.95.  Gr. 10-12. Rose, the daughter of an Italian immigrant widower, develops a friendship with Mari, a young mother who lives in a bad section of town but is very friendly and forthright. Mr. Padroni wants to raise Rose in the strict ways of the Old Country, but Mari helps her to become more American and to develop independence. She even tells Mr. Padroni that he should stop abusing and start appreciating Rose. A few days later, Mari is found murdered in her small apartment. Rose suspects her father. Years later she takes her grandson to Mari’s grave to help him face the anger he feels at his wife’s death from a drunk driver. Rose wants him to avoid the bitterness that ruined her father’s life. Although Rose is an entirely fictitious character, the story of Mari is closely based on a 1937 homicide in Grand Junction, Colorado.  Equally interesting is the author’s search through local records to reconstruct the events. Her research and her story reveal how very different teens’ lives were in the 1930s. Historical fiction     Eleanor Howe

*Brooks, Bruce. Dolores:Seven Stories About Her.  New York:HarperCollins Publishers, 2002.  0-06-027818-8. 135p. $15-95.  Gr. 8-12. Seven episodes in the life of Dolores are portrayed  as she grows from an interesting child to an intriguing 16 year old.  Dolores copes with a kidnapping, school bullies and attempted rape in these short stories. Young girls will admire the different and feisty heroine.  Great for a reluctant reader.  School story.         Donna Darmofal

Bruchac, Joseph. The Winter People. New York: Dial Books, 2002. 0-8037-2694-5. 168 p.  $16.99.  Gr. 5-9. In The Winter People, Joseph Bruchac transports the reader back to 1759 during the French and Indian wars. While the men of the village are away helping the French fight the British, the famed Rogers Rangers attack Saxso’s Canadian village of St. Francis. The village is destroyed and the women and children are taken as prisoners. Saxso sets out alone to rescue his mother and sisters.  During his journey to find them he calls on his knowledge of tribal lore, the teachings of his warrior uncle and his Catholic teachings.  In his author’s note, Bruchac tells how this moving story is based on Abenski version of Rogers Rangers attack of the village of St. Francis and his own Abenski family history.  This story belongs in your middle school collection. French-Indian War/Abenski Indians/Coming of age/Multi-Cultural        Sandra Krieg

Buffie, Margaret.  The Seeker. New York: Kids Can Press Ltd., 2002. 1-55337-358-8. 368p.  $16.95. YA   Emma Sweeney has the potential to become an exceptional Watcher, but her instructors are losing patience with her. Raised by an Earth family, Emma is prone to emotional human behavior that gets the better of her logical Watcher instincts.  She is transported to Argadnel, an island kingdom where her changeling sister, Summer is now queen.  Their mother, who is grieving for her missing husband and real child, lies near death, so Emma determines to rescue her lost sister and arrange for their father’s return.  In this second volume of Margaret Buffie’s trilogy The Watcher’s Quest, Emma’s mission becomes a dangerous race when she realizes she isn’t the only one searching for her sister.  Emma is a headstrong, engaging narrator, and Buffie’s uses her first person prospective to smoothly provide background for readers unfamiliar with the first volume. Teenage fiction/Fantasy                    Ann Wade

Byars, Betsy. Keeper of the Doves. New York: Viking, 2002. 0-670-03576-9.121p. $14.99. Gr 4-7.   For aspiring writer Amen McBee, life at the end of the nineteenth century with her four older sisters is full of adventure.  There are visits from Grandma, who teaches them how to use a Kodak camera, and there are plenty of places to explore on the family estate.  There is also a new baby to look forward to—the whole family, especially Papa, is hoping will be a boy.  The only trouble in Amen’s life is Mr. Tominski, the strange old man who lives in the woods and keeps a trained flock of doves. When the family dog is killed, Amen’s sisters suspect he is responsible. Throughout the book’s 26 brief chapters, Byars creates a narrative mystery that deals with the nature of truth, judging others, and the acceptance of death. Family                  Ann Wade

Cabot, Meg.  All American Girl.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2002.  0-06-029469-8.  247p.  $15.99.  Gr. 7-12. Samantha Madison is an artistic tenth grader and self-described “urban rebel”, though she attends a prestigious prep school.  Her beautiful older sister is the most popular, while her younger sister is the genius.  Sam’s family’s life changes abruptly when she foils an attempt on the President’s life.  A romance with the President’s son follows despite the fact she has had a long time crush on her older sister’s boyfriend.  This funny and engaging story of teenage life, complete with entertaining top ten lists, will keep the readers interest even with the unlikely plot twists.  Teen Fiction           Leslie Mastronardo

Cabot, Meg.  Princess in Love.  New York : HarperCollins, 0-06-029468-X. 229 p.  Gr. 6-10.  The saga continues.  14-year-old Mia Thermopolis has her hands full with royal duties in preparation for meeting her future subjects in Genovia, she doesn't need any more complications.  But her mom is pregnant and married to her algebra teacher, and her love life is anything but rosy.  How can she manage to dump Kenny?  And declare her love for her best friend's older brother, Michael?  Like reading the diary of an old friend, this series just keeps getting better.        Pat Naismith

Caletti, Deb.  The Queen of Everything.  New York: Simon Pulse, 2002.  0-7434-3684-9. 372 p.  $10.26.  Gr. 9-12. Jordan MacKenzie is a typical high school junior.  She lives with her divorced father because she can’t stand her mother.  Soon after meeting Kale, Jordan discovers her father is seeing a married woman.  Her father begins to pay less attention to her and she realizes that she can do whatever she pleases.  She begins to date Kal, a crazy, wild boy who smokes and enjoys killing small animals.  Jordan knows he isn’t her type, but enjoys running free.  Her world turns upside down when the husband of the woman her father is dating turns up dead.  Now Jordan must turn to a friend that she always had taken for granted.  This book was very well written and was very true to life.  Any student in high school should enjoy this title. Palisades High School Student

Calvert, Patricia.  Betrayed! New York: Atheneum, 2002.  0-689-83472-1 212 p. $16.00.  Gr. 5-8.  A sequel to the novels Bigger and Sooner, this adventure takes place in 1867 when Tyler Bohannon and his friend Isaac, a freed slave, head west with Tyler’s dog, Sooner.  They obtain passage aboard a keelboat from a captain who is engaged in criminal activity.  They are initially unaware of the captain’s motives and after they discover it they are trapped. The captain, in order to save himself, trades Tyler and Isaac to a Sioux Indian chief.  Tyler faces one betrayal after another in this novel that also deals with many issues of racial identities.  Historical fiction.           Susan Krenicky

1 of 2 Card, Orson Scott.  Shadow Puppets.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 2002.  0-765-30017-6.  348 p. $25.95.  Gr. 9-12. In this sequel to Ender's Shadow, the powerful nations are struggling to establish a new world order.   When Achilles threatens the Hegemony, led by Peter Wiggins, Bean is forced to take action.  While the description of battle tactics is a bit lengthy, this is a must read for anyone who's read the Ender's Game Series.  Science Fiction        Michelle Stone  

2 of 2 Card, Orson Scott. Shadow Puppets. New York : Tor Books, 2002. 0-7653-0017-6. 368 p.  Gr. 8+. The story of Bean, begun in Ender's Shadow, continues at a breakneck pace.  Peter Wiggin has been elected Hegemon, but to maintain his tenuous hold, he must produce results.  So why has he rescued Achilles from his Chinese prison?  And what must Bean do to protect himself, his pregnant wife and embryonic children from the monster set upon destroying him?  Must read science fiction for Ender fans!           Pat Naismith

Cheng, Terence. Sons of Heaven. New York: William Morrow, 2002. 0-06-00243-3.  309p. $24.95.   Gr. 10-12. Two brothers are caught up in the political tensions and upheaval in China in the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre.  Lu becomes a soldier in the People's Army, and Xiao-Di is sent to America to get an education at Cornell.  Returning home, Xiao-Di is upset by the horrors he sees, and is pulled into the rebellion by his friend Wong, who is killed. Innocent but singled out by the Party as a rebel leader, Xiao-Di must flee for his life. Lu, the Army's pawn, is sent to find him, and does so, at great cost to both brothers. Family/Historical Fiction/Multicultural                Nancy Chrismer

Cheripko, Jan. Rat.  Honesdale, Pa : Boyds Mills Press, 2002.  1-59078-034-5.  205p. $15.95.  Gr.7-10. Fifteen-year old Jeremy, also known as Rat, was born with a deformed arm and a love of basketball.  When Rat witnesses the popular and successful basketball coach assaulting a cheerleader, he testifies against him in court, is subsequently ostracized by his teammates and begins to believe that testifying was the wrong choice.  The new coach is intent on rebuilding not only the team’s morale, but the team’s morals as well, and he kicks the star player, Simpson Theodore, off the team because of sexual harassment.  The basketball action is fast paced and descriptive and will hold the interest of the readers.  This is more than a basketball story as the tensions between Rat, the team, Simpson and the coach are explored within a framework of religious beliefs and moral choices.  Note:  Mild profanity.  Basketball/Coming of Age               Rosanne Zajko

Chiang, Ted.  Stories of your life and others.   New York:Tom Doherty Associates, 2002. 333 p.  0-765-30418-X.  $24.95. Gr 10+. Chiang is considered one of the foremost science fiction writers of  today having won the Nebula, Sturgeon, Campbell, and Asimov awards.  He has only written short stories and eight of them are collected here for the first time.  His most famous story,  The Tower of Bablylon, tells of a miner who must climb the tower of Babylon in order to get through the vault of heaven.  His seven other stories are equally compelling.  Chiang combines the intricacies of scientific detail along with an enduring human tale.  A must read for all science fiction fans. Included are interesting story notes. Science Fiction, Stories                 Susan Mowery

*Child, Lincoln.  Utopia. New York: Doubleday, 2002. 0-385-50668-6. 385p. $24.95. Gr.10-12. This exciting, suspenseful novel takes place in a huge theme-park made up of different "worlds" and located in the Nevada desert. The complex depends on the most advanced computer techonology, and Dr. Andrew Warne, a designer, has come to visit the park with his daughter on what he thinks is a routine visit to receive new orders for more technology.  Saboteurs attack the complex while it is filled with thousands of visitors, cause murder and mayhem throughout, and attempt to kill Sarah, the park's CEO, who happens to be Warne's old girlfriend. Warne teams up with some unlikely people to thwart the sabotage, save Sarah and his daughter,  and stop the theft of all the money from the complex.  Students will like this definite edge-of-your-seat reading. Adventure/Suspense Fiction             Nancy Chrismer

*Child, Lincoln.  Utopia. New York: Doubleday, 2002. 0-385-50668-6. 385p. $24.95. Gr.10-12. This exciting, suspenseful novel takes place in a huge theme-park made up of different "worlds" and located in the Nevada desert. The complex depends on the most advanced computer techonology, and Dr. Andrew Warne, a designer, has come to visit the park with his daughter on what he thinks is a routine visit to receive new orders for more technology.  Saboteurs attack the complex while it is filled with thousands of visitors, cause murder and mayhem throughout, and attempt to kill Sarah, the park's CEO, who happens to be Warne's old girlfriend. Warne teams up with some unlikely people to thwart the sabotage, save Sarah and his daughter,  and stop the theft of all the money from the complex.  Students will like this definite edge-of-your-seat reading. Adventure/Suspense Fiction          Nancy Chrismer

*Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. New York: Philomel, 2002. 176 p.  0-399-23626-0. 176 p.  $15.99. Gr. 6-10. Imagine waking up one morning, going through your usual routine, wipe the steam from the mirror, look into the mirror and no one is there.  So starts this highly imaginative tale of fifteen-year-old Bobby.  The reader follows Bobby as he tells his parents and they try to figure out a way to help and protect him. He figures out how to travel outside of his home (fortunately it’s winter and he can bundle up), how to work at the university library (naked as not to be seen), and how to avoid the school truancy officer. His trips to the library lead him to meet and become friends with Alicia, a blind girl. Together they work to discover the cause of Bobby’s invisibility and stumble across others who are “not seen.”  This tale will catch the imagination of middle school students and older reluctant readers.Fantasy/Mystery/FamilyRelationships  Sandra Krieg & Jeannie Bellavance   

Clinton, Cathryn. A Stone in My Hand. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002. 188 p.  0-7636-1388-6. $15.99. Gr. 5-8. Set in Gaza City in 1988 Malaak Abed Atieh tells of the death of her father by a terrorist bomb, of the attraction of her older brother, Hamid, to terrorism, and of her mother's struggle to keep the family together.  Through the eyes of a child the reader sees the horrific effects of war and oppression. No matter what you may feel about the politics and the issues this book will have a profound effect. Jewish-Arab relations/Muslims/Family           Jeannie Bellavance

*Cohn, Rachel.  Gingerbread.  New York: Simon & Shuster, 2002.  0-689-84337-2.  172 p. $15.95.  Gr. 8-10.  Cyd Charisse (named for the dancer/actress) is a “recovering hellion” who has returned to the West Coast after being kicked out of her East Coast boarding school.  Her stepfather, whom she had a great relationship with, calls her the “recovering hellion,” but is the one who provides the support her ditzy mother can’t quite always provide.  Cyd is having a terrible time fitting in to life in San Francisco.  She has a boyfriend, Shrimp, who her mother detests and in a fit of frustration, her mother sends her to see her biological father. She goes to New York with a sense of dread about what she will find, only to discover half-siblings she can finally get to know.  Always rocky in her relationships, Cyd, begins to mature and find herself while working with her half-brother in a coffee shop.  Gingerbread is her constant companion—a rag doll gift from her father when she was a small child.  According to Cyd, Gingerbread shares her opinions on everything through her smirks and smiles. Cyd has some serious secrets that are gradually revealed—including what happened to her at the boarding school. I thought she was a spunky character and teen girls will like this story. Family relationships                     Peg Kleppinger

Cornwell, Bernard. Vagabond.  NY: HarperCollins, 2002.  405  pp.   0-06-621080-1.  $25.95.   Gr. 10-Adult. Thomas of Hookton, an English archer and illegitimate son of a village priest, goes to Northern England in search of the Grail mentioned in his father’s journal.  While there, his skill with the long bow helps the outnumbered English defeat the Scots at the battle of Neville’s Cross. His vow to avenge the murder of his betrothed, Eleanor, takes him back to France and into the hands of Taillebourg, a Dominican friar Inquisitor who subjects him to torture. Thomas finds himself in a three-way contest to locate the Grail. Male readers will enjoy the description of 14th century military strategy as well as the vivid battle scenes at the beginning and end of the novel. Fans of historical fiction can immerse themselves in the medieval culture revealed through a variety of characters from all walks and stations in life. Highly recommended. Historical Fiction     Eleanor Howe

Creech, Sharon. Ruby Holler. New York:  Harper Collins,  2002. 310 p. ISBN  0-06-027732-7 $16.99. Grades 5-8. Twins, Florida and Dallas have been sent to various foster homes each with its own tale of woe but always return to the Boxton Creek Home run by the terrible Trepids. An elderly couple Sairy and Tiller decide to take a chance on the terrible trouble twins.  Florida is a tough and skeptical while Dallas is more dreamy.  It is hard for either of them to trust grown ups. The twins go to Ruby Holler, which is very rural.  They get into their usual clumsy trouble, but Sairy and Tiller don't punish. Although the twins are planning to leave on the next train, they stay a little longer. Malice is afoot as Mr. Trepid thinks he can steal from Sairy and Tiller who keep their money in an "Understone Bank."  He hires the mysterious Z to do the dirty work. In the surprise ending Mr. Trepid gets what he deserves and the twins get a family. Family/Trust/ Brothers & Sisters / Orphans   Jeannie Bellavance

Crowe, Chris. Mississippi Trial, 1955. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2002. 231 p. 0-8037-2745-3 $17.99 Gr. 7-12. Hiram Hillburn visits his grandfather in a small Mississippi town during the summer of 1955.  He is delighted to return after being away for seven years.  Gradually he realizes that the home he had loved so dearly is not the ideal place.  His well-to-do grandfather is involved with the Community Council meetings which often go late into night. Hiram begins to see the subtle and not so subtle racism.  Then a young black boy is murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman.  Hiram is sure that another boy was involved but somehow the law doesn't look for him.  During the trial Hiram begins to figure out just why his father left Greenwood and would not come back. Parts of this book are based on the murder of Emmett Till.  This book will go well with Mildred Taylor books.  Crowe has written a biography, Presenting Mildred Taylor. Historical fiction/Father -son relationship/Segregation/Racism         Jeannie Bellavance

Curry, Jane Louise.  The Egyptian Box.  New York: S&S, 2002.  0-689-84273-2. 186p. $16.00. Gr. 4-7. It’s a dream come true--her own personal servant to do chores and homework. Tee’s servant is a Shabti, an ancient Egyptian statue, meant to serve her royal mistress in the afterlife.  A bequest from her uncle, the Shabti is unimpressive--until Tee’s brother deciphers the hieroglyphics inscribed on the box. The awakened Shabti begins to do Tee’s chores and homework, allowing Tee to retreat with a book.  Never confident at school, Tee begins to send the Shabti to math class, then gym class, then all her classes. At first, Tee is thrilled to stay home -- reading, snacking, and watching videos.  As time goes on, Tee realizes she’s missing out.  Just as she starts to reclaim her life, the Shabti turns on her, locking her in the basement. In the ensuing power struggle, Tee rejects the magical world for the everyday world of friends and family.  Part mystery, part fantasy, this page-turner packs a message about making choices and living life to the fullest. Mystery/Fantasy                    Jennie Pittman

Dalkey, Kara. Ascension. New York: Avon, Harper Collins, 2002. 235 p. ISBN 0-06-440808-6 $4.99 Grades 7-10. Nia, a mermyd, cannot believe that she is not chosen by her clan to compete for the role of Avatar of Atlantis.  Ten Avatars, each joined in a special ceremony with a king of the Farworlders, guide peaceful Atlantis. She is the most qualified.  As she seeks out the reasons, she finds that the competition has been rigged.  Why would the council do such a thing –even her own grandfather?  What other secrets are there? Will this spell the end of Atlantis?  This book is only the beginning of the Water series. Intriguing.  It definitely leaves you wanting more.Fantasy, mythology               Jeannie Bellavance                                                        

Dalton, Annie.  Isabel: Taking Wing. Middleton, WI: Pleasant Company, 2002. 1-584855-932. 182 p. $12.95 Gr. 5-8. Twelve year old Isabel, an independent thinking and spirited young lady, lives in late sixteenth century London. Strict Aunt Elinor is in control of the household due to the death of Isabel’s mother and tries to change Isabel’s ways.  Isabel constantly dreams of freedom and adventure to the dismay of her family.  After sneaking off to see a play at the Rose Theater and almost drowning, Isabel is sent to live with her Aunt de Vere, an herbalist and free thinker herself.  This turns out to be the best thing for Isabel who is accepted and is given the freedom to grow.  Wonderful historic details.  Part of the Girls of Many Lands series.  Historical Fiction             Susan Krenicky

*Datlow, Ellen and Windling, Terri, editors.   The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest.   New York: Viking, 2002.   0-670-03526-2.   388p.  $18.99.  Gr. 9+. This may be one of the best collections of short stories, themed or un-themed, I’ve ever read!   Each is a finely crafted piece of work, and together they stand as a monument to the forest folklore of the ages.  It also includes a few poems, and an introduction that examines a number of folk traditions, from classical and Celtic sources, and others.  One of the greatest features is the inclusion of a short biography of each author at the end of their contribution, which lists other titles they have written, and work they have in anthologies, and an Author’s Note that tells in a few words how their contribution came to be written.  These features alone greatly increase the worth of the anthology, and students will love the inclusion of web addresses for the authors.  Buy this book.  Find out about the rarely-known-outside-of-France mythical creatures called pagodas, which were the inspiration for a piece of his music, and learn how to negotiate with a teenage fairy-with-an-attitude, should you meet one in Central Park.  You never know.  Story Collection - Fairy Tale/Fantasy         Pam Kavanaugh

David, Peter. Woad to Wuin:Sir Apropos of Nothing. New York: Pocket Books, 2002. 0-7434-4830-8. 451 p.  $24.00. Gr. 9-Adult. The Woad to Wuin is the second installment in the Sir Apropos of Nothing series by Peter David.  It concerns a rather unscrupulous man, Apropos, who unwittingly becomes involved with a magical gem, thus inserting himself into a divine power struggle. In my opinion, the novel was well-written and engaging, despite the fact that the first chapter has no relation to the plot except as an reason for the main characters’ animosity.  However, The Woad to Wuin has one great flaw.  There is no respectable main character; the book lacks a hero.  The character Apropos is despicable and amoral, and Sharee, another major character, is cold, calculating and egotistical.  Hence, I found it hard to empathize with characters.  But overall, I found the novel to be an interesting read.                Science Fantasy               Student from The Haverford School

Davies, Jacqueline. Where the Ground Meets the Sky. New York: Marshall. Cavendish, 2002.  0-7614-5105-6.  224p.  $14.95.  Gr. 6-8. Davies focuses her first novel on a little known facet of the Manhattan Project – the families of the scientists who lived on the site where the atom bomb was developed.  Twelve-year old Hazel moves with her brainy scientist dad and her pacifist mother to a place in New Mexico known only as “The Hill.”  There are many secrets on The Hill, and the most secret of all is the “gadget” that the scientists are creating.  Yet, life manages a semblance of normalcy despite the secrecy, as Hazel makes friends and keeps secrets of her own.  One of Hazel’s secrets causes her much turmoil, and she must decide between a patriotic disclosure of the secret or keeping quiet in order to maintain a friendship.  Davies wrote this story after reading the oral histories of adults who had been children in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project and she presents a believable story of a brave young girl who learns that some choices in life lead in the right direction.  Historical Fiction.    Rosanne Zajko

Desai, Hidier Tanuja.  Born Confused.  New York: Scholastic, 2002.  0-439-35762-4 432 p. Gr. 8+ . In this lyrical coming of age novel, New Jersey teen Dimple LaLa is seventeen, of Indian heritage, and an ABC (American Born and Confused).  Dimple struggles with her beautiful blond haired, blue-eyed best friend, Gwyn, who becomes infatuated with Karsh, the son of close family friends from India, but comes to admire this “unsuitable suitable” boy herself.  Dimple straddles both cultures with both sarcasm and growing respect. Indian-American readers and your many other readers who straddle two cultures will appreciate this book.  For other readers this is an authentic glimpse into Indian-American culture and an absorbing read about a character with whom they will identify. Realistic/Multiculural    Joyce Valenza

Dessen, Sarah.  This Lullaby.  New York, Viking Press,2002.   0-670-03530-0.  345p.  $16.99. Gr. 9-12. Falling in love for the first time, dealing with her mom’s fifth marriage and preparing for Stanford are what high school senior Remy has to face after graduation.  Students love this book and relate to the main character. Colorful supporting characters add to the enjoyment of the story.  Teen romance.          Donna Darmofal

Dessen, Sarah.  This Lullaby.  Everyone who loves music wishes for their own song.  “This Lullaby” provides just that.  The book revolves around a teenage girl who has her own song written by her father yet she never understands it.  This is her acceptance of life and a song. This book is funny, sad, and amazingly well written.  Sarah Dessen has come out with yet another hit novel.  Student from Scranton Prep

Dewey, Jennifer Owings. Borderlands.  New York: M. Cavendish, 2002.  0-7614-5114-5. 159 p.  $12.70.  Gr. 9-12.  This is a story about a sixteen – year - old girl, Jamie who has ended up in a mental hospital due to severe depression.  Jamie meets Adam, another mentally disturbed patient.  When Adam begins to play Mozart on the piano, Jamie becomes entranced with the music and begins to paint a mural which unlocks her deepest feelings and fears.  The reader begins to see Jamie’s past full of horrible physical abuse.  Jamie connects her past to the story of Alice of Wonderland.  This book helps the reader to become familiar to their dreams and fears and realize what they mean.  Palisades High School Student

Disher, Garry.  The Divine Wind: A Love Story. New York: Scholastic, 2002. 153 pp.  0-439-36915-0.  $15.95.  Grades 9-12.   Winner of the 1999 New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award. On the eve of World War II, Japanese Australians dive for pearls in boats owned by white Australians. Hart Penrose and his sister Alice are nonetheless best friends with Mitsu, daughter of their father’s diver. When Hart is injured at sea, his feelings develop into love as Mitsu helps him recover in the hospital and his father sells his boat to help her widowed mother. The friendship cools, however after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Reminiscent of Snow Falling on Cedars in tone and topic, this novel also raises issues of anti-Aboriginal prejudice and women’s independence. Disher packs a lot of story, setting, feelings, character development, and insight into this very short novel.  Historical fiction.           Eleanor Howe

Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. Neela: Victory Song (Girls of Many Lands: India).  Middleton, WI: Pleasant, 2002.  196 pp.  1-58485-521-5 (pbk)  $7.95.  Grades 6-12. As Neela helps her family prepare for her older sister’s wedding, she begins to question traditional Hindu cultural expectations of women. Local Indian nationalists urging independence from Britain raise similar questions of subjugation. After her father leaves the family farm to help the nationalists, Neela hides an insurgent in the barn. She is torn between her friendship with this young man and a newly received offer of marriage from a nearby wealthy family. When her father does not return from Calcutta, Neela asserts her independence and self-reliance by going to find him. While clearly and simply written, the story offers both excitement and the tension of conflicts between both personal and national goals. This short novel is written by the author of Arranged Marriage, a highly acclaimed collection of short stories about Asian Indian and Indian American women. Highly recommended. Multicultural historical fiction.              Eleanor Howe

Dokey, Cameron.  The Storyteller’s Daughter.  NY: Simon Pulse, 2002.   221 pp.  07424-2220-1.  $5.99.  Gr. 7-12. Prince Shahrayar, betrayed by his wife, has vowed to take a new wife each month and murder her the next day. Shahrazad, daughter of the King’s adviser, volunteers against her father’s wishes to become the first wife. Her goal is for Shahrayar to see his true heart and to remove its bitterness through her storytelling. She is convinced this will save his life as well as her own.  Shahrazad, whose mother was an accomplished storyteller, has lived a quiet life in the palace but believes storytelling and saving the prince are her life’s calling. The danger of her perilous course is matched by political intrigue both within the palace and from neighboring princes. The reader is kept entranced by Dokey’s own voice as a storyteller as she weaves together suspense, conflict, Shahrazad’s stories, and empathy for the blind, intelligent, and courageous young woman who tells them. Highly recommended.  Multicultural historical fiction; Legend                 Eleanor Howe

Doyle, Eugenie. Stray Voltage. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2002.  1-886910-86-3. 133 p.  $16.95.  Grade 5 -8.  A simple yet powerful story of eleven year old, Ian, who lives on a dairy farm in Vermont.  His mother has abandoned them and the young boy is left behind with his stern father who ignores Ian and an older brother who doesn’t speak much either. His father is pre-occupied with a problem with stray voltage from an ice storm that damaged the power lines.  The stray voltage has made the cows sick, thus, giving less milk and without the milk the farm will fail.  Ian is trying to cope with his loneliness and finds a voice through his writing at school and an understanding teacher. A dramatic ending helps Ian come to some understanding and healing, but with some unresolved issues.   The tone of the language makes you feel the stray voltage. A wonderful debut novel. Realistic Fiction, Farm life            Susan Krenicky

  Draper, Sharon M.  Double Dutch.  New York :  Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002.  0-689-84230-9.  $16.00   183 p.  Gr. 5-8 . Each of the three eighth grade students has a secret:  Delia cannot read, Randy is afraid his father has abandoned him, and Yolanda has trouble telling the truth.  What unites these three friends is their Double Dutch jump rope team, and Delia’s reading difficulties, if discovered, will keep her off the team.  The three friends have a solid relationship and they help each other solve their problems.  Though the dialog at times seems stilted, girls who enjoy jump rope will like the descriptive passages of the practices and competitions.                       Rosanne Zajko

Emerson, Earl.  Vertical Burn. New York: Ballantine, 2002.  340pp.  0-345-44589-9.  $24.95. G10-Adult. John Finney, son of a former fire chief, is traumatized when a wall in a burning building falls on his partner, who dies unattended. Finney is further shocked when other firemen deny that he went for help and accuse him of panic, fright, and flight. Finney’s daring rescue in a subsequent fire fails to improve his reputation, and he slumps into a depression when other events seem to conspire against him.  As John pieces together the fires and attacks on him, he develops a theory of arson and corruption within the Department.  Suspense builds with each fire and culminates with the Columbia Tower fire, where John attempts an even more dramatic and daring rescue. Emerson’s knowledge of the language, equipment, and politics of fire departments creates a very realistic setting. While there are some in this Department who are certainly not heroes, the fire scenes are horrifying and underscore our respect for those who dare to fight them. Highly recommended. Suspense                Eleanor Howe

*Farmer, Nancy.  The House of the Scorpion.  New York: Richard Jackson/Atheneum, 2002.  0-689-85222-3. 380 p. $17.95.  Gr. 7-12. This is a terrific futuristic novel about a cloned boy harvested to provide his “father,” El Patron, with body parts.  Spurned by “humans,” Matt is brought up on El Patron’s estate, in Opium, an immense poppy farm between what was once Mexico and the United States. Matt escapes from Opium when El Patron is dying and needs a new heart.  He survives brutal conditions at the Plankton Factory before finally arriving in Aztlan, formerly Mexico.  Surrounded by evil his entire life, Matt manages to find the strength and courage to survive amidst extreme adverse conditions.  The book is long (380 pp) but middle school boys, in particular, will like the story.  The House of the Scorpion was a National Book Award winner, a Newbury Honor Book, and a Michael Printz Honor Book for 2003.     Futuristic Fiction                  Pat Bender

1 of 3 *Ferris, Jean.  Once Upon a Marigold.  New York: Harcourt, 2002  0152167919 $17.00  272 p. Gr. 5-8.  Shrek and Princess Bride fans will love this amusing fairy tale, filled with classic, but edgy archetypes.  At six, strong-willed Chris runs away from home and is adopted by Edric, a troll, who lives in a cave and is guided in his parenting by an etiquette book he found in the forest.  Chris, an aspiring inventor, watches the head strong Princess Marigold from across the river, with his telescope and begins a satisfying p-mail (p for pigeon) correspondence. Friendship and then romance grow and the castle becomes a dangerous place for both.  The plot keeps twisting.  The characters keep you engaged.  A delightful romp with a mother you’ll love to hate. Fairy Tale/Fantasy/Romance            Joyce Valenza  

2 of 3 *Ferris, Jean.  Once upon a Marigold.  San Diego:  Harcourt, 2002. 0-15-216791-9.  266 p. $17.00.  Gr 5-8. As the beginning of the title suggests, readers will be treated to a fairy tale that lives up to the cover’s advertisement of “part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the kitchen-sink.”  Readers looking for a break from gritty realistic fiction can’t do better than to follow the adventures of run-away Christian, his adoptive troll father Edric, and Christian’s beloved, the Princess Marigold.  Chris is a young runaway boy in a velvet suit who refuses to tell Ed where he lives.  Ed raises Chris, and together they have a happy life.  One day, Chris sees the feisty Marigold through his telescope, falls in love, and begins a long distance courtship through carrier pigeon (p-mail).  Chris leaves home to pursue Marigold and while employed at Marigold’s castle discovers a plot to marry off Marigold so that her mother, scheming Queen Olympia, can take control of the kingdom.  Will the lovers foil the plot and get hitched?  Will we ever know who Chris really is and what he was running away from?  Will Marigold’s perfume business be successful?  Feris writes with a light touch combined with deft but sometimes corny humor that only adds to the enjoyment of this “carpe diem ever after” tale.  Fairy Tales.                  Rosanne Zajko

3 of 3*Ferris, Jean.  Once upon a Marigold  San Diego:  Harcourt, 2002.  0-15-216791-9.  266p. $14.45.  Gr. 6-10. This delightful tale takes readers to a fantasy world.  Edric, a troll, lives in a cave in the woods with his two dogs.  He is endearing because of his heart and his idiosyncrasies.  Edric “adopts” and unhappy six-year-old boy named Christian, who ran away from home.  The troll and the boy become like father and son.  Eventually Christian ventures out into the world and he and Edric communicate via carrier pigeons.  Christian falls in love, but encounters many obstacles.  This story has twists, turns, good, and evil!  The story is adorable, silly, entertaining that I read well into the night.  We need more innocent, uplifting stories such as this the give us a break from the news of the real world. Anne Marie Berger, Palisades High School

Fine, Anne. Up on Cloud Nine. New York: Delacorte, 2002. 151 p. ISBN 0-385-73009-8. $15.99. Grades 6-9. Ian’s best friend, Stol (Stuart Oliver), is in the hospital again.  This time he has fallen out of the third floor window.  Ian, while waiting for Stolly to awaken, ponders why Stolly is so different, why he has ended up there.  In writing Stolly’s life story and in part his own, Ian reveals that it is his family, the Paramours, that has mostly raised Stolly as his own parents are too caught up in their careers.  Stolly is a boy who marches to his own drummer, but needs many care takers along the way.  He is fearless about revealing his own sensitivities, but not cautious about his own person.  As Ian analyzes Stolly with some help from a few pamphlets left by the social worker, he realizes that Stolly may have tried to kill himself.  He sets on making Stolly realizes jus how important he is to so many people.  The discussion of suicide is handled well.  Stolly is looking for help.  Ian also makes the parents aware that Stolly is in more trouble than they have taken the time to notice. Another issue that Fine brings up is the idea of wanting children and taking responsibility for raising them.  Fine subtly makes this point in contrasting the parenting styles of the Oliver and the Paramours. Friendship/Suicide/Parenting/Family life                              Jeannie Bellavance

Flinn, Alex.  Breaking Point.  New York: HarperTempest, 2002.  0-06-623847-1.  $15.95.  241 p.  Gr. 9-12. Rejected by his recently remarried father, Paul Richmond and his mother move to Miami where she works at a private school so that Paul can have a good education.  Paul has always felt like a misfit, but the Gate-Brickell Christian School is full of good looking rich kids and Paul, a computer geek, finds it difficult to make friends.  When Charlie Good, the most popular boy in the school, seeks him out, Paul begins to spend a lot of time with Charlie and his friends. They go on some minor crime sprees stealing bagels and smashing wooden mailboxes.  Later, Charlie and Paul explore bomb-making sites on the Internet. Paul soon discovers that Charlie wants to plant a bomb in the classroom of the only teacher to give him a bad grade. Paul must either go along with Charlie or risk losing his "friendship."  This is a riveting book about how far a high school student will go to fit in. Alex Flinn received praise for Breathing Underwater (2001), an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults.  High Schools, Peer Pressure, Family Relationships.  Pat Bender

Frank, E.R. America. New York: Atheneum Books, 2002. 0-689-84729-7.  242p. $18.00. Gr. 10-12.   This is a gripping story of a little 6-yr-old boy known as America, who gets lost in the system.  Living with a foster family, he is excited to start kindergarten, but must first go in to the city (New York) to visit his birth mother, who is a drug addict. When he gets to the city, the mother abandons him and her other children, and there is no way he can get back to his foster family; he is literally lost. His foster mother loved him and wanted him back, but in the foster family there was an older man who was abusing America and swearing him to secrecy.   For America, this is the start of a downward spiral that almost destroys his life completely. Told in snapshots as the now teen-aged America opens up to a psychiatrist, the story is heart-rending and horrifying because it so easily could be true.  By finally opening up to his counselor, America is able to save himself in the end. There is some language and veiled descriptions of the abuse, but both are appropriate to the story. Realistic Fiction/Teen Issues               Nancy Chrismer

Funke, Cornelia.  The Thief Lord.  New York: The Chicken House/Scholastic, 2002.  0-439-40437-1.  349 p. $16.95.  Gr. 7-12. Translated from the German, this engaging tale about runaway children in Venice will appeal to all adventure readers.  When  private investigator, Victor, is hired to find Prosper and Bo, two English children who have escaped from their caretakers, he discovers an underworld of children surviving as petty thieves and pickpockets. Their leader is Riccio, the Thief Lord, whose real identity is unknown.  Instead of turning them in, Victor becomes an accomplice in their efforts to evade adoption.  A subplot involves a magical carousel which makes one older or younger depending upon its circular route.  Venice and its wonders serve as a backdrop as this band of young people continually outsmart the adults searching for them.  Winner of the 2002 Mildred L. Batchelder award, this YA novel will be requested by boys and girls alike. Family Relationships, Magic, Adventure.                       Pat Bender

Gaiman, Neil.  Coraline. New York:  Harper Collins, 2002.  0-06-623744-0.  162 p. $15.99.  Gr. 5 – 8.  Coraline has moved into a new flat with mother and father who are very pre-occupied with their own work and ignore Coraline, who is often bored and wanders around the house and yard and visiting the neighbors(a strange group) in the building. In the rarely used living room of the apartment is a locked door that opens to a brick wall belonging to an unoccupied apartment next door. One day feeling really lonely, she decides to unlock the door to investigate. When she opens it, the brick wall is gone and she is able to enter. Coraline enters an alternate world complete with her “other” mother and father who are eerie, pale and have black buttons for eyes, but they pay attention to her and give her all kinds of good things to eat.  When she returns back to her own apartment her real parents are missing and when they don’t return, Coraline knows she must return to the alternate world in order to rescue her real parents. A scary, frightening adventure complete with a “winner takes all” game to win her parents back.  Supernatural Fiction, Fantasy.           Susan Krenicky

Garretson, Jerri.  The Secret of Whispering Springs.  Manhattan, KS: Ravenstone, 2002.  0-9659712.  204 p. $6.99.  Gr. 5-7. Fourteen-year old Cassie Wade is moving to a stone mansion out in the prairie that is rumored to be haunted.  It takes only one visit to discover that something sinister is happening at her new home. Her family does not believe her when she says that someone is watching the house and that she also thinks it is haunted.  Cassie is threatened by a mysterious intruder who is seeking a treasure at the house and is also befriended by the mysterious ghost who seeks answers about her family. Annie’s story unfolds and Cassie tries to help her, while fearing the intruder will harm the family.  A page-turner for young teens, this novel will keep them reading while they wait for Cassie to solve the mystery.  This is a light mystery/ghost story that does not become gruesome and it has a positive ending. Mystery/Ghost Story           Peg Kleppinger

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Pictures of Hollis Woods.  New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2002.  0-385-32655-6.  $15.95.  166p. Gr. 5-8. When Hollis, a troubled foster child arrives at Josie's house, her history of running away has become chronic. Hollis is a talented artist who describes her life in pictures, not words. Something occurred at her previous foster home that disturbed Hollis greatly.  The story is told in segments, (pictures) and it is not until the end of the book that the truth comes out.  Hollis wants to stay with Josie, an elderly woman with a memory disorder, but she runs again taking Josie with her this time.  Middle school readers will enjoy this slim book packed with emotions as Hollis's desire to become part of a family comes true.  Foster Children, Family Relationships, Alzheimer's Disease.       Pat Bender         

Giles, Gail.  Shattering Glass.  Brookfield, Ct: Roaring Book Press, 2002.  0-7613-2601-4.   $17.98.  Gr. 7-12.  The opening paragraph in Giles first novel gives away the ending, but it is the device that draws the reader into the life of Simon Glass.  The focus of this well crafted first novel on the power of cliques is not the gruesome death of Simon Glass, but the events leading up to it.  Simon is the quintessential nerd who becomes a makeover project for Rob, a charismatic leader of the clique who seeks power.  Other members of the clique collaborate with Rob’s manipulations as Simon is transformed from nerd to high school royalty.  Rob has an agenda for his grooming of Simon, and unbeknownst to Rob and the clique, Simon has an agenda of his own.  When Simon’s agenda thwarts Rob’s plans, violence is the result.  Mild profanity                   Rosanne Zajko

Golding, Theresa Martin.  The Secret Within. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, 2002.  1-56397-955-0.  240 p.  $16.95.  Gr. 5 – 8.  Carly, a young teen decides that Oceanside, New Jersey is the best place she has ever lived.  Her father makes the family move often and suddenly, so Carly has never had a chance to make or keep friends. Her father forbids her to leave the house except to deliver packages around town supposedly from his candy store, but Carly loves the ocean and sneaks out her bedroom window every night to go to the boardwalk to watch the ocean. She makes friends with three different people who lead Carly to question her father’s treatment of her as well as his business dealings. The story ends with a dramatic conclusion.  This is a suspenseful story of child abuse, neglect, and crime. Great for reluctant readers. Realistic Fiction.  Child Abuse.                   Susan Krenicky

1 of 2 Goobie, Beth.  The Lottery.  Custer, WA: Orca, 2002. 1-55143-238-2. 264 p. $15.95.  Gr. 8-11.  Readers will recognize the influence of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” when they read this novel by Beth Goobie.  Sally Hanson is in high school where the Shadow Council selected one student to be the messenger for their cruel pranks on other students.  Students who are selected by the Shadow Council are shunned by other students and spend an entire year at the beck and call of this secretive group.  Amazingly, few ever complain about this practice and they have escaped the knowledge of the teachers and administration in this school. Sally is not a happy student—her alcoholic father was killed in a car accident that she feels she is responsible for because she didn’t stop him.  Her friend, Brydan, is a double amputee, who despite much bravado before she was named, flees from her.  Her one friend, Tauni, is autistic and while serving the Shadow Council, she begins to understand how autism has affected Tauni’s life.  Sal’s relationship with the Shadow Council eventually comes to a head when she finally is able to confront this group.  It is strange and disturbing that the adults in this story, never seem to catch on to what is happening in the school, but students will enjoy reading the story. It certainly gives some food for thought on reactions to one’s ability to make choices and stand up for what is right. Relationships                        Peg Kleppinger

2 of 2 Goobie, Beth.  The Lottery.  Custer, WA: Orca, 2002. 1-55143-238-2.  264 p. $11.87. Gr. 9-12.This is a book about a school that has a lottery where a student is chosen each year to be excommunicated,  Sally Hanson is this year's chosen student. This book tells the reader what it feels like to be not talked to during the whole year.  From the time that Sally gets the note, wrapped in a black ribbon, to when the Shadows council rejects her because of her ways.  Beth Goobie writes a captivating story that begs the reader to finish it in one sitting.  Palisades High School Student

*Grimes, Nikki.  Bronx Masquerade.  New York: Dial, 2002. 0-8037-2569-8. 167 p. $16.99.  Gr. 7-12. Mr. Ward, a Bronx high school teacher decides to host open-mike poetry in his classroom every Friday.  Each chapter is told in both prose and poetry, narrated by one of Ward’s eighteen students. There's aspiring songwriter Tyrone, Lupe, desperate to have a baby so she will feel loved, overweight Janelle, Raynard, who hides a secret, Porscha, who expresses her anger after her mother ODs. The students’ poetry looks beyond the “masquerade” and reveals their most intimate thoughts.  In its varied forms, this student poetry is likely to inspire readers to become writers themselves. Realistic/ Multicultural                        Joyce Valenza

*Halam, Ann.  Dr. Franklin’s Island. New York:  Wendy Lamb Books, 2002.  0-385-90056-2.  $14.95.  Gr. 6-10.  Inspired by H. G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, this survival story/science fiction tale tells about three British teens selected to go to the Galapagos Islands with a conservation group.  The plane full of teens crashes in the ocean near a deserted island. The three are the only survivors and they must swim to the island and create a shelter, find food, and try to get rescued.  They soon learn that the island is actually inhabited by Dr. Franklin, a “mad scientist” whose experiments involve genetic engineering and uses human DNA on animals.  The three are imprisoned and become part of Dr. Franklin’s experiments and are injected with DNA from a fish, bird, and snake.  An exciting adventure, full of horror and excitement that will keep the students turning the pages. Survival Fiction, Science Fiction.                Susan Krenicky

Hanley, Victoria.  The Healer’s Keep.  New York: Holiday House, 2002.  0-8234-1760-3.  364p.   $17.95.  Gr. 7+. This is a companion (read sequel) to The Seer and the Sword, and is an excellent fantasy in the vein of Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey.  You might spring it on your languishing Harry Potter fans, as well.  Fantasy                         Pam Kavanaugh

1 of 2 Harlow, Joan Hiatt.  Joshua’s Song. New York:  M.K. McElderry, 2001.  0-689-84119-1.   176 p.  $16.00  Gr. 3 – 6.  This fast paced story takes place in Boston in 1918 and the main character, Joshua a thirteen year old boy has lost his father to the influenza pandemic.  Joshua and his mother, once members of the Boston elite, are now poor.  His mother has to take in boarders and Joshua must quit his private school and look for work.  Joshua’s voice has changed and he can no longer sing with the Boston Boy’s choir. He takes a job as a “newsie” and encounters the other side of Boston. The climax of the story brings Joshua’s voice back when he sings to aide a victim after a molasses tank explodes and kills 21 people (a true incident known as the Great Molasses Flood of 1919).  A wonderful addition for a middle level historical fiction collection.  Historical Fiction               Susan Krenicky  

2 of 2 Harlow, Joan, Hiatt.  Joshua’s Song.  New York:  Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2001.  0-689-84119-1.  176p.  $16.00.  Gr. 5-9. When Josh’s father dies in the influenza epidemic, he must find a way to help support his family that was once considered well to do.  He takes to the streets as a newsboy hawking papers and finds a rival in Charlestown Charlie, a tough streetwise boy.  When a molasses tank explodes reeking havoc in the streets, Joshua and Charlie must join forces to help those they care about.  Based on the “Great Molasses Flood” of 1919 in Boston, this is fast paced and remarkable story.  Historical Fiction            Leslie Mastronardo

Haydon,Elizabeth.  Requiem for the Sun.  New York: Tor, 2002.  0-312-87884-2. 462 p.  $27.95. Gr. 9-12. In this sequel to the Rhapsody trilogy, Rhapsody is kidnapped by Michael, who they thought had previously died but in fact had been possessed by a F’dor spirit.  Gwydion and Achmed come to try to save her.  Meanwhile Rhapsody escapes from Michael and goes into hiding.  While in hiding, problems occur due to her pregnancy.  The F’dor spirit is destroyed by Gwydion’s grandfather and Rhapsody is finally found.  This book was very satisfying and provided answers to many questions but it also raised a few new questions.  Students who have read the Rhapsody trilogy will very much enjoy this title.  It is recommended that students read the trilogy prior to this title.           Palisades High School Student

Hiaasen, Carl.  Hoot. New York:  Knopf, 2002.   0-375-92181-8.  292p. $ 15.95.  Gr. 6-9.  Roy Eberhart is new in town and he becomes the target of a bully at school. But his main concern is a runaway kid named “Mullet Fingers” (because he can catch fish with his bare hands).  Roy also meets the kid’s sister, Beatrice, who is a soccer star and is a tough jock with an even tougher attitude.  The three discover that there are burrowing owls, protected animals, on the proposed building site for a pancake house. Mullet Fingers tries to sabotage their efforts to build every chance he gets.  Roy tries to stop the building legitimately and discovers corruption in the city government.  Humor and adventure make for an appealing middle school read.   Fiction, Environmental.                Susan Krenick

Hidier, Tanuja Desai.  Born Confused.  New York: Scholastic, 2002.  0-4393-5762-4. 432 p. $16.95.  Gr. 10-12. Dimple Lala’s confusion stems from the fact that she is living between two cultures: Indian and American.  Her loving parents represent a refreshing change from most parents appearing in young adult fiction.  Dimple is a typical teenager, lying to her parents, drinking on a first date, daydreaming about boys.  Her interest in photography saves her from typical teenage boredom & makes her unique among her age group. The book is filled with vivid descriptions of food, dress, and traditional culture practiced by Indian Americans. I couldn't wait to find out more about this fascinating teenager and the Indian subculture that exists in the New York City area. Family Relationships, High School, Multicultural.    Pat Bender

Hill, Kirkpatrick. Minuk: Ashes in the Pathway. Middleton,WI: Pleasant Company Publications, 2002. 1-58485-520-7. 198p. $7.95. Gr. 4-8. The traditional Yup’ik Eskimo way of life in 1890 is changed for Minuk when the American missionaries arrive. She learns of bathing and corsets, Kodak cameras and stereoscopes, English and reading. She also learns of medicine and, sadly, influenza that soon devastates the villages. This is one volume in the Girls of Many Lands series and includes historical/factual references and a glossary at the end.     Multicultural                  Elizabeth McChesney

Horowitz, Anthony. PointBlank: an Alex Rider Adventure. New York: Philomel, 2002. 0-399-23621-X  215 p.  $16.99 Gr. 6-9. This is Alex Rider’s second adventure working for the British M16. In this mystery/adventure, Alex poses as the troubled son of a rich industrialist to gain entrance to an exclusive Swiss Prep school where a number of other wealthy thirteen-year-old sons have been sent.  Two of the fathers of these boys have died under strange circumstances and Alex is charged with finding out if there is a connection. Using creative technology he discovers the headmaster’s secret plot and saves the day.  For those who enjoy high adventure. This could be used with older reluctant readers. Mystery/Adventure            Sandra Krieg

*Hrdlitschka, Shelley. Dancing Naked. Custer, WA: Orca Book, 2002.  1-55143-210-2. 250p. $6.95. Gr. 9-12. Sixteen, pregnant, and without any support--emotional or monetary--from her boyfriend, Kia must make some decisions that will effect the rest of her life. With the help of her church youth group Kia finds the courage to tell her parents and friends and to resist her boyfriend’s insistence that she get an abortion. As her body changes throughout the pregnancy, so do her thoughts about what is important in her life and what will be best for her child. Problem Novel     Elizabeth McChesney

Huntington, Geoffrey. Sorcerers of the Nightwing. Book I: The Ravenscliff Series. New York: Regan Books, 2002. 0-06-001425-3. 278p. $17.95.  This book is a “must read.”  It is all about Devon’s adventures.  Devon had to move to Misery Point because his Dad died.  When he gets to Misery Point, there are surprises one after the next.  People that read this book will want to read the next book! It’s adventurous, a bit romantic, and you’ll feel like you’re there yourself!    Springfield Twp. HS,  student

Inness-Brown, Elizabeth.  Burning Marguerite.  New York:  Random House, 2002.  0-375-41196-8. 237 p. $19.55.  Gr. 10-12.  This book is beautifully written and thought provoking.  It tells the story of James Jack Wright, a young man who, one day, finds his “Tante” Marguerite, dead outside in the snow. Underneath, the book shows the deep impact one person can have on another.  This book explores the complexity of human relationships without being preachy or philosophical.  Some adult situations make this book a selection for more mature high school students, but I think everyone will be moved by this touching story.  Palisades High School Student

Jiles, Paulette. Enemy Women. New York: William Morrow, 2002. 321p.  0-06-621444-0.  $24.95.  Gr. 10-12. An interesting story of an unusual aspect of the Civil War, this novel mainly follows the experiences of a young girl from Missouri who is caught up in the horror of the war years.  Part of the horror is that at this time in Missouri, the troops were not well-drawn, were not disciplined, and both sides preyed on the honest citizens who were trying to survive.  Eighteen-year-old Adair Colley sees her father, who has tried to stay neutral, beaten and taken away, has to flee her home on foot with her two sisters, and herself is thrown into a women's prison on trumped-up charges as a traitor.  She perseveres, finally escapes with the help of a warden with whom she falls in love, and then must make her way back home.  Each chapter begins with a few actual excerpts from letters and diaries of the time, from both Union and Confederate soldiers.  Mature readers will understand that these show the confusion and uncertainty of the time; less accomplished readers will want to skip them and find out what is happening to Adair.    Historical Fiction              Nancy Chrismer

*Johnson, Lindsay Lee.  Soul Moon Soup.  Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2002.  2002069265. 134 p. $15.95. Gr. 7-9. A set of connected poems that tell the story of Phoebe Rose, a talented artist and homeless girl whose life has spiraled downward. She has lived in an unheated bus, a homeless shelter and on the street. They move between soup kitchens as Phoebe and her mother try to survive in the city.  Phoebe’s mother sells her wedding ring in order to send Phoebe to live with her grandmother in a rural town when she believes she can no longer provide for her.  Here Phoebe blossoms and also learns about the conflict that has ripped apart the relationship between the two women. When her mother finally returns, Phoebe attempts to reconcile the fractured family.  Phoebe’s story set in poetry will touch the reader. Family                    Peg Kleppinger

Jordan, Sherryl.  The Hunting of the Last Dragon.  New York: HarperCollins, 2002.  0-0602-8902-3.  186p.  $15.95.  Gr. 6+. Set in medieval England, this tale of a young man reluctantly thrust into a quest is notable for two intriguing variations.  First, the story is told, not as it is occurring, but as he tells it to a monk to write down, giving us a nice picture of monastic life as a bonus.  Second, the young man completes his quest with the help of a Chinese girl, whose culture is contrasted with his own.  The final showdown is, of necessity, a cooperative venture, and the story does not end with the dragon, but with an emotional resolution for the characters.  Fairy Tale / Fantasy                 Pam Kavanaugh

Kelley, Nancy. The Whispering Rod. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: White Mane Kids, 2001. 1-57249-248-1. 167p. $17.95. Gr. 7-10. Fourteen-year-old Hannah Pryor lives with her widowed father in Massachusetts in 1659. Hannah witnesses her Puritan society's prejudice and hatred of the Quaker sect, as the  town fathers hang several persons of the Quaker faith. Hannah meets Mary Dyer, a Quaker lady who preaches her faith in spite of narrowly escaping her own execution. Hannah must make her own difficult choices when her intellect and soul are challenged as to what is truly and morally right or wrong.  This very interesting and unusual novel highlights the irony of  those who came here for religious freedom and often became  less tolerant, more rigid, and more overly zealous than those from whom they fled.  Historical Fiction            Nancy Chrismer  

Kesel, Barbara.  Meridian. 3, Taking the skies.  Oldsmar, Fl:CrossGen, 2002. 1 v. (unpaged) 1-931484-21-X. $15.95.  Gr. 9-12. As an avid comic book reader, I tend to stick with reading the ‘classic comics’ such as Batman or superman.  This comic though brings new life to the thought dead literary genre.  The drawings are clear and the writing pulls you further into the story. A comic that you can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Graphic novel                     Scranton Prep School Student

*Kidd, Sue Monk. Secret Life of Bees.  New York : Penguin, 2002.   0142001740. $14.00. 320 p. Gr. 9+. Set against a backdrop of the early 1960s, 14-year-old Lily Owen, is neglected and abused by her father and fantasizes about her mother, Deborah, who died when she was four in a gun accident with unclear circumstances. (Did Lily shoot her?) In her search for her mother, Lily and her black nanny Rosaleen, who insults a group of white men on her way to register to vote, flee to the small town of Tiburon, South Carolina and the nurturing home of three black female honey farmers, the Boatwright sisters.  Lily makes important self discoveries and learns the truth she has been seeking.  Beautiful, sweet, and rich, a novel for young women to get lost in.  Multicultural        Joyce Valenza

*Koertge, Ronald. Stoner and Spaz. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2002.  0-7636-1608-7.  169p.  $15.99.  Gr. 8-12. Sixteen- year- old Ben, who has cerebral palsy begins an unusual relationship with the school druggie, Colleen.  Through humorous and serious situations, both gain acceptance and respect for one another.  Realistic characters and feelings that young people can relate to.  School story.                    Donna Darmofal

Korman, Gordon. Son of the Mob.  New York: Hyperion, 2002. 0-7868-0769-5. 262 p. $15.99.  Gr. 6-8. Korman’s latest novel gives the middle school reader a humorous yet understanding look at relationships. Vince Luca’s father is the head of the New York mob.  Vince wants nothing to do with the family business but finds himself drawn into it in unexpected ways, such as when he develops a web site for his New Media class and Tommy, his brother, uses the site for a gambling operation.  However, Vince has a more serious problem: his girlfriend’s father is the FBI agent who is trying to put Vince’s dad behind bars. How Vince manages to avoid meeting Kendra’s parents, and how he discovers the undercover agent that infiltrated his father’s organization will keep the reader turning the pages of this fun story. Coming-of-age/Family relationships                         Sandra Krieg

Lafaye, A(Alexandra). The Strength of Saints. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002. 183 p.  0-689-83200-1. $16.96 . Gr. 5-9. This is the third book about Nissa Bergen who lives in Harper, Louisiana.  In previous books Nissa has had to deal with her mother’s desertion and father’s remarriage and has opened lending library with separate but very equal privileges for both blacks and whites.  In 1936 hope arrives in town as the northern Yampell family builds a factory to can the local sweet potatoes.  Conflict comes when the Yampells hire blacks and whites to build and then to work in the factory. Nissa’s life is further complicated when her mother shows up.  What develops, though, is a strong family that supports Nissa and encourages her independent thinking which later helps diffuse some of the racial conflict. Lafaye presents a realistic but hopeful look at life in a small southern town.  In some ways the book will remind readers of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird.  Race relations/Mothers and daughters                 Jeannie Bellavance

Lavendar, William.  Just Jane.  San Diego:  Gulliver Books, 2002.  0-15-202587-1.  275p.  $17.00.  Gr.7 +. Lady Jane Prentice, the orphaned daughter of an English earl, comes to Charlestown, South Carolina to live with her uncle and aunt in 1776, just as the conflict between the colonies and England begins to heat up.  Preferring to be called “just Jane’ instead of by her title, Jane is caught between the political beliefs of her Loyalist uncle and the revolutionary fervor of other family members.  She falls in love with her tutor, a pacifist who is many years older and who appears to be having an affair with her aunt.  The destruction caused by the war tears Jane’s family apart.  The action covers six years, during which time Jane grows from a teenager into a young woman looking to the future and the colonies grow from rebellious subjects into the beginnings of a unified country.  Lavendar takes the time to detail the effects of the war on each of the character’s lives.  Historical fiction fans, especially fans of Anne Rinaldi, will want to read Jane’s story.  Historical Fiction.  Rosanne Zajko

LeGuin, Ursula K.  The Birthday of the World and Other Stories.  New York: HarperCollins, 2002.  0-06-621253-7. 362 p. $24.95.  Gr. 9-12.  LeGuin’s short story collection returns to the world Ekumen, the setting for her famous novel, The Left Hand of Darkness.  There are eight short stories and a novella that all probe the essence of humanity.  It is necessary to have a working knowledge of her other works to understand this work.  Following the theme of gender, LeGuin explores love, sex, life and alienation.  In “Unchosen Love,” a young man fall in love with someone in another country and must decide if he can build a new life in a new place.  In “The Matters Of Seggri” women outnumber men.  Two stories deal with marriage relationships and one “Coming of Age in Karhide,” a teen enters sexual maturity in a genderless society.  Those who enjoy LeGuin’s work will be happy to see this new addition to her work.  Science Fiction/Fantasy                Peg Kleppinger 

Lewis, Mindy.  Life Inside: A Memoir.  New York: Atria, 2002.  0-7434-1149-8.  357 p. $20.40. Gr. 9-12. This is a book that is about a girl who is sent to the hospital because she has a drug problem and has recently caused trouble.  Her relationship with her mother seems to be the root of her misbehavior.  While inside the hospital, Mindy meets new people; some ending up to be her most trusted friends and others, her worst enemies.  She learns to control her temper and treat people with respect.  Drastically, she learns that the only way to love her mother is to live without her.  I would recommend this book to any teenage girl who feels left out or that does not have a strong relationship with her mother.  I think it will help them to realize how much you really do need them by your side. Palisades High School Student

Lindskold, Jane M. Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart.  New York:  Tor, 2002.  0-312-87426-X. 608 p. $27.95.  Gr. 9-12. In this sequel to Through Wolf’s Eyes, Queen Valora of the Isles steals three artifacts from Bright Bay’s treasury.  She does not know what they do, so she hires the only sorceress in Hawk Haven, Melina Shield.  Queen Valora sends her diplomat and Melina to New Kelvin with plans to use the artifacts for devious reasons.  Meanwhile, Firekeeper has been told by the Ones of the Beasts that she is to get the artifacts or destroy them at all costs.  Firekeeper joins up with her comrades from Through Wolf’s Eyes and goes after Lady Melina, following her to New Kelvin.  This book is very interesting, focusing on the culture of the New Kelvinese.  However, it is recommended that readers finish Through Wolf’s Eyes prior to this title.  Palisades High School Student 

Lyons, Mary E.  Knockabeg, A Famine Tale.  Boston:Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001.  0-618-09283-8.  $15.00.  118 p. Gr. 6-8.  This is a famine story that is also a faery story.  Set in Ireland during the Great Hunger, this is an interpretation of the tale from the perspective of the Deenee Shee (Little People or Trooping Ones).  The Trooping Ones must combat the Solitary Ones, faery species that are basically evil, to end the blight that is upon the land.  Faery folk and mortal folk join together in this story of courage, friendship, and enchantment.  A glossary of faery words and laws of Trooping Faery physics are included. Historical Fiction entwined with Folklore                Constance Roupp

McCarthy, Susan Carol.  Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands.  New York: Bantam, 2002.  0-55380169-4. 281 p. $23.95.  Gr. 5-8.  Set in central Florida in 1951, Reese McMahon’s family is saddened by the loss of a friend.  Marvin Cully, who works for her father, is killed by the Ku Klux Klan. Her liberal family quickly realizes that no one is going to search out Marvin’s killers and her house becomes the center of the resistance movement against the Klan. As her family discovers how corrupt local officials are, they attempt to contact the FBI and federal authorities.  NAACP attorney, Thurgood Marshall, arrives to investigate the murder. This story is based on actual events that happened to the author and her family. Middle School students will be fascinated by Ms. McCarthy’s story.  Civil Rrghts        Peg Kleppinger

*McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Kite Rider.  NY: HarperCollins, 2001.  272 p.  0-06-623874-9.  $15.95. Gr. 7-12.  Winner of the 2001 Nestle Smarties Bronze Medal. The deceptively simple writing and start to the story evolve into greater challenges and issues as Gou Haoyou emerges from his loving family into his extended family and the world politics of 13th century China. To protect his widowed mother from the advances of a drunken sailor, Haoyou rides a high-flying kite to test the winds before its planned voyage, a dangerous and physically damaging act that took his father’s life. Miao witnesses his daring feat and asks Haoyou to perform it in the Jade Circus. His greedy Uncle Bo is only too glad to see the boy leave the house and earn wages that he can later claim. Gradually Haoyou realizes that Miao is pursuing a goal greater than the touring circus, one that involves royal assassinations and vengeance. Both Haoyou and Miao are concerned with issues of filial obedience and how to deal effectively with perceived evil. Carnegie Medalist Geraldine McCaughrean knows how to spin an exciting adventure packed with action and intrigue as well character conflict. Very highly recommended. Historical multicultural fiction.              Eleanor Howe

McDonald, Janet.  Chill Wind. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. 0-374-39958-1. 134 p. $16.00  Gr. 7-10. This is the sequel of Spellbound and continues the story of Aisha, a high school dropout with two small children, who lives in a housing project and on welfare. The welfare is going to run out and Aisha attempts to find ways to subvert the system and continue to receive benefits.  She eventually is forced to realize that there are no easy ways out of her problems.  Teen girls who enjoyed the first novel will likely enjoy this one, despite the fact that it isn’t the best written book. The language is very real and the situation that Aisha must confront is also. I have given it to girls in school and they liked it.  Welfare Mother Fiction                Peg Kleppinger

McLaren, Clemence.  Aphrodite's Blessings:  Love Stories from the Greek Myths.New York:  Simon & Schuster, 2002.  200 p. 0-689-84377-1. $16.00. Gr 8+. A bright and appealing cover will entice readers to this trilogy of three romances from Greek mythology. Included are the stories of Atalanta, Andromeda and Psyche.  These timeless tales feature strong women fighting to survice in their ancieant male-dominated worlds, whether physicaly like Atalanta, or at the hands of the gods and heroes like Andromeda and Psyche. Mclaren's book brings mythology into the realm of the romance novel or story and should appeal to many students.  It may also be used in conjuntion with a class mythology unit. Mythology, Romance, Stories          Susan Mowery                                                                                                    

Malone, Michael. Red Clay, Blue Cadillac. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, 2002. 1-571071-824-5. 294p. $15.00. Gr. 11 -12. The twelve stories in this collection could be about women anywhere,  although the Southern small town setting gives them a special flavor. The themes demonstrate many subjects: love and loss, murder and mystery, surprise, wonder and innocence.  Each story is a jewel that sparkles on its own, yet is enhanced by the others in this collection. The women in the stories are diverse:  the aging movie queen, returned home and charged with murdering her husband; the new young social worker in town who helps release a mistakenly institutionalized grandma;  the quiet housewife whose last straw was the stuffed deer her husband put in the front yard;  the attractive killer  whose elaborate deception cost an innocent man his life.  This is an excellent collection for mature readers.      Short Stories             Nancy Chrismer

*Manns, Nick.  Operating Codes.  Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 2001. 0-316-60465-8. 182p.  $15.95.  Gr. 5-8. Billed as a “ghost story with a conscience,” Operating Codes is haunted by war criminals, both past and present.  From the outset, Graham and Matty Hayton sense there’s something wrong at Sentinel House. Isolated from its neighbors, the house has a sinister look and feel. At night, they hear the heavy tread of ghostly soldiers; in the morning, they see eerie evidence of their phantom visitors.  With his father constantly working on new military software, Graham is forced to investigate these mysteries by himself.  He discovers that Sentinel House was used as a military prison in World War I; as such, it held Paul Whitaker before his execution for treason. As Graham unravels the mystery, he learns that Whitaker was a hero, not a traitor, since he revealed that poisonous gases were being tested on prisoners.  When Graham’s father is accused of posting military secrets on the web, the past and the present collide. Manns compares Whitaker’s court-martial with his father’s trial, inviting the reader to consider where patriotism lies: in building weapons to defend your country, or in exposing  “weapons of mass destruction.”   Mystery                      Jennie Pittman                    

Marsden, John. The Other Side of Dawn. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2002. 0-618-07028-1. 344 p. Gr. 7+. The final installment in the saga that started with Tomorrow When the War Began has finally been published.  Once again Ellie and her band of teenage commandos have been given an impossible assignment by the Kiwis. They must wreak havoc and do the maximum damage possible on all the major roads used by the invaders.  But they become separated after sabotaging a gas station, and Ellie finds herself on a freight train heading for enemy territory.  She is taken prisoner after being injured in a train explosion which she has caused.  Even after she has been told that her friends are dead, she still refuses to give in or give up.  A satisfying ending, realistic, without any sugar coating.                Pat Naismith

Marshall, Bev.  Walking Through Shadows:a novel.  San Francisco: MacAdam/Cage Pub.,2002.  1-931561-05-2.  282p.  $25.00.  Gr. 9-12. Life in 1941 on a quiet Mississippi dairy farm is shattered when the body of 17 yr. old Sheila Barnes is found in a cornfield brutally murdered.  Her story is narrated by various characters eventually leading to the killer. A real page-turner for anyone who loves a good mystery.  Mystery        Donna Darmofal

Martin, Anne M.  A Corner of the Universe.  New York: Scholastic Press, 2002.  0-439-38880-5.   $16.95.  Gr. 6-9. In the summer of her twelfth year, Hattie Owen comes face to face with a family secret: her 21 year old Uncle Adam.  The family did not speak of Adam.  He lived in a boarding school for the mentally ill, and now that the school has closed, Adam has returned home to live with his regimented and proper parents.  Hattie admires her quirky uncle, who quotes verbatim dialog from “I Love Lucy”, and she quickly forms a friendship with Adam, a savant with maniac mood swings.  At times Hattie even feels that she and Adam are like “aliens who don’t belong anywhere except in their own little corners of the universe.”  Adam’s knowledge that he is different causes him to find a tragic escape from his universe and the family who loves him.  A touching story of love and friendship, Martin’s characters, dialog and pacing are perfect and so engrossing that tears will be shed for Hattie and Adam before the last page.                              Rosanne Zajko

Meyer, Carolyn.  Doomed Queen Anne. San Diego:  Harcourt, 2002.  0-15-216523-1. 230 p.  $17.00  Gr. 7+.  Part of the Young Royals series, this book tells the story of Anne Boleyn’s life from age 13 up until her death by execution 16 years later.  The book is told in the first person and begins on the eve of her beheading and tells the story of how her life came to this end.  Good historic details and it handles the ins and outs of King Henry’s many sexual relations very discretely.  It accurately portrays Anne’s strong ambition as well as her spitefulness and vanity in a short novel that will appeal to middle school girls interested in the historical diary genre.   Historical Fiction                              Susan Krenicky & Leslie Mastronardo

Meyer, L. A. Bloody Jack. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, 2002. 0-15-216731-5. 278 p.$17.00. Gr. 5-9. This adventure on the high seas starts when Charlie, the leader of Mary “Jacky” Faber’s gang is killed.  In order to protect herself, she decides to take Charlie's clothes and dress as a boy.  She and four other street kids sign on as ship boys, happy to know that they will be eating regularly and getting paid too. She earns her nickname when she kills a pirate during a battle.  Adventure abounds as Jack hides the fact that she is a girl by fashioning a codpiece, wraps herself in extra clothing to hide her developing breasts and uses the skills she learned surviving the streets of London.  Here is another story with a strong female protagonist to pair with The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Orphans/Sea Stories/Pirates/Sex Roles                           Sandra Krieg

Myers, Anna.  Tulsa Burning.  New York: Walker, 2002.  0-8027-8829-7.  152 p.  $ 16.95.  Gr. 3-6.  Nobel “Nobe” Chase is 15 and his abusive father has died and left Nobel and his mother with no means to live.  His mother becomes the live-in housekeeper for the town sheriff who is racist and corrupt as well. Nobel’s closest friends are a black boy, Isaac, who is several years older and his mother, a teacher at the black school.  Their friendship causes tension and conflict in the sheriff’s household.  There is a race riot in nearby Tulsa where the black section of town is burned to the ground and Nobe must stand up for justice to rescue his friend.  This is a story of bigotry, hatred, abuse and the sacrifice of friendship. Historical Fiction, Race relations.                     Susan Krenicky

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Blizzard’s Wake. New York: Atheneum, 2002. 212 p.  0-689-85220-7. $16.95 Gr. 6-12. Set in 1941 in North Dakota, fifteen-year-old Kate Sterling can’t get over her mothers death by a drunk driver four years ago.  A sudden blizzard brings the Sterling family together with the man who killed their mother.  How can they stand this man?  Father is a doctor and helps him.  Jesse, eleven, learns to enjoy him.  Only Kate cannot forgive.  The book is full of metaphors for starting over. The exciting even gripping description of survival during a blizzard was interesting reading during the recent heavy snows. Family relationships, forgiveness, survival                          Jeannie Bellavance

*Nye, Naomi Shihab. 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East.  New York: Greenwillow, 2002.  0-06-009765-5.  $16.95.  142 p. Gr. 6+. Poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye's response to the events of 9/11 was to write. These moving and evocative poems, celebrate Middle Eastern heritage and explore the Arab American experience, describing issues of war and peace, family and culture, and the simply delights of a fig.  Excellent for use in language arts and global studies classes.   Poetry/Multicultural                      Joyce Valenza

1 of 2 Oates, Joyce Carol.  Big Mouth & Ugly Girl.  New York: HarperTempest, 2002. 0066237580. $16.89.  272 p. Gr. 7-12. Oates first young adult novel is set in a Columbine-sensitive environment. Her characters’ emotional journeys effectively emerge in alternate chapters sprinkled with urgent authentic-reading emails. Junior class president Matt Donaghy's big mouth gets him into big trouble, when he jokingly threatens to bomb the school if his play isn't accepted for the Spring Arts Festival.  Basketball star Ursula Rigg, known to herself as "Ugly Girl," comes to his defense despite pressure from her family not to get involved. The two begin an awkward friendship as Matt struggles with his parents’ lawsuit against the school district.  An awkward friendship between the two outcasts begins.  Young adult readers will relate to the pain and loneliness these characters face on a daily basis, a high school culture that rings true, and the awkwardness of early romance. Realistic           Joyce Valenza

  2 of 2 Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth and Ugly Girl. New York, HarperTempest, 2002.  00-6623756-4.  266p. $16.89. Gr. 7-10. Wise guy, Matt, finds himself in trouble for mouthing off  in the cafeteria about bombing the school. His friends abandon him but he finds an unlikely ally in Ursula, an awkward girl with low self esteem. Their relationship deepens.  Students will relate to the pressures both at school and home the couple experiences.   School story.         Donna Darmofal

3 of 3 Oates, Joyce Carol. Big Mouth & Ugly Girl. New York: HarperTempest, 2002. 0-06-623756-4. 266p. $16.89. Gr. 6-9 . High school students Matt Donaghy and Ursula Riggs could never have predicted the changes ahead on that fateful January day when their worlds are turned upside down. Matt and Ursula are each confronted with what may be their worst flaws and, over time, discover what may be the best of them. In the midst of chaos, they learn about themselves as students, members of families, and friends. Told from two perspectives, this story will appeal to readers who enjoy being able to peek into a character’s thoughts. Contemporary Realistic/Friendship                  Karen Hellberg, Reading Teacher, The Haverford School

Oke, Janette. A Gown of Spanish Lace. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002. 0764227114. 176 p. $9.99.  Gr. 6-8 . In the days of cowboys and Indians in the American West, 16-year-old Ariana is kidnapped by outlaws.  In her isolation, she develops trust in the boss's son, who finally rescues her.  Through twists and turns, the two fall in love and eventually marry.  I like the way the author handled the inner turmoil and self-discovery of the main characters.  This story is interlaced with references          to Christianity and the bible.  Fiction/Historical, Love & Adventure                 Michelle Stone

Orca Soundings Series. Custer, WA: Orca Book Publishers, 2002.  $7.95 Grades 7+ . This series is a set of short, hi/lo realistic teen problem novels that deal with such topics as parental suicide, teen pregnancy, run-aways, family problems, and reputation.  The books are written by noted Canadian teen authors including William Bell and Beth Goobie and Kristen Butcher. In Kristen Butcher’s The Hemingway Tradition a boy starts over after his secretly gay father kills himself.  This book shows a wonderful relationship with the boy’s mother as they work together to understand and still honor the father’s memory.  In Sticks and Stones by Beth Goobie, Jujube successfully regains her reputation after the class stud slanders her. The quality varies but each book does resolve the conflict in a positive manner that will appeal to the intended audience.   Other titles in this series are Kicked Out by Beth Goobie, Death Wind by William Bell and  One More Step by Sheree Fitch. Teen Problems, Reluctant Readers           Jeannie Bellavance

Otsuka, Julie.  When the Emperor Was Divine.  New York: Knopf, 2002. 0-375-41429-0. 144p.  $18.00.  Gr. 7-12.
In simple language, the author describes the tragedy of a loyal Japanese American family as they are relocated to a prison camp during World War II.  Each chapter is written in the point of view one family member: the woman, the girl, the boy, and the father, describing the disruption of their comfortable lives in Berkeley, California and their hardship and humiliation for three years in Utah. This is Ms. Otsuka's first novel and it's a gem. Family Relationships, Multicultural, World War II, Japanese-American Relocation Camps.          Pat Bender

Packer, Ann.  The Dive from Clauson’s Pier.  New York: Knopf, 2002. 0-375-41282-4. $24.00. Gr. 10+ . This coming of age novel is set in motion by one serious event. Carrie’s fiancé Mike attempts to impress her with a tragic dive off Clausen’s Pier at the Memorial Day picnic.  The dive leaves him paralyzed and forces her to struggle with conflicting values of loyalty, betrayal, and the need for self-discovery.  She continues to wrestle with her decision as she moves to New York City to explore new friendships, new romance, who she is and where she really wants to be.  Eloquently written, older girls will love this one despite a slightly contrived ending. Realistic             Joyce Valenza

Petersen, P. J. Rising Water. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2002. 120 p.  0689-8414- 16.00 Gr. 6-12. As part of his rehabilitation and to get out of juvenile hall Kevin has agreed to help out at the science center.  His sponsor Luke and Luke’s sister, Tracey show him how to work with the rescued animals.  Instantly he and Tracey are at odds. When the river floods near their homes, the three set off to rescue stranded pets and find thieves looting homes.  In the tense touch and go adventure, Tracey and Kevin begin to respect each other. This is an exciting, shorter book for younger teens who might be reluctant readers.  Problem novel, adventure                    Jeannie Bellavance

Pierce, Tamora.  Lady Knight. New York: Random House, 2002. 0375814655. 427 p. $16.95. Gr. 7-10. Keladry, one of the few female knights in this medieval-like society, has been chosen 'protector of the small' by supernatural powers. Her country is at war. The biggest threat they face is Blace, a mage who uses children's spirits to power his killing machines. After many battles, Kel destroys Blace and his machines, thus turning the tides of the war. This is the fourth book in the "Protector of the Small" series.  Science Fiction/Fantasy                        Michelle Stone

*Placide, Jaira.  Fresh Girl.  New York:Wendy Lamb Books, 2002.  0-385-32753-6. 216p. $15.95. Gr. 9+. After spending many years in Haiti, Mardi Desravines returns to America because of the Haitian Revolution.  She encounters harassment and racism at the hands of her peers.  Mardi is haunted by the atrocities she suffered at the hands of the soldiers and deals with it by harming herself. Students will get an appreciation of what it is like to live through a revolution and come to a strange country, learn a new language and try to fit in with students their own age.          Diversity Story             Donna Darmofal

Prachett, Terry. Night Watch: A Novel of Discworld. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.  338 pp.  0-06-001311-7.   $24.95.  Grades 10+. As police administrator Sam Vimes dons his official ceremonial breastplate and sprig of lilac to honor John Neely, a deceased colleague, he reminisces about the past and realizes he misses the beat and active patrol work. His musing are quite unexpectedly accomplished on a library roof by time travel during an electrical storm, but he is taken first to the wrong time period. Placed in the next time slot, he discovers that he is John Neely observing young Vimes as a naïve and well-intentioned new member of the Night Watch, a corrupt and inept police force. Prachett combines a crisp British sense of humor, sarcasm, and cynicism, and his zany characters can always create or remark on the irony in a situation. The result is a highly hilarious romp through time in a complex plot of human frailty, good, and evil. Science Fiction, Time Travel   Eleanor Howe

Randle, Kevin D. Operation Roswell.  New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2002. 0-312-86710-7.  432 p. $25.95.  Gr. 9-12+. The Roswell legends comes alive again.  On June 30, 1947, scientists met with the Pentagon to view top secret photos of a strange flying object over Arizona.  The object is shot down and the residents of Roswell decide to learn as much as possible about the craft and crew before the news leaks out.  With the threat of dropping a nuclear bomb on the facility, the scientists continue to work.  It is a fast-paced thriller that students who are fascinated with the Roswell legend will enjoy.  Science Fiction            Peg Kleppinger

Rapp, Adam. Little Chicago. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2002. 1-886910-72-3. 255p.$16.95. Gr.10-12. Rapp’s latest novel is bleak and unrelenting.  Through the voice of Blacky Brown, we learn the terror, bewilderment, and damage of child molestation.  The book opens as Blacky flees, naked, from the home of his mother’s boyfriend in the middle of the night.  Even though he does all the right things:  asks his drug- and alcohol-abusing big sister for help, goes to the hospital where he tells a social worker from Children’s Services about the abuses, and even confides in his only friend at school, all supports fail him.  He does find solidarity with the other school freak, though she becomes the victim of a prank that leaves her unconscious, lying on a stretcher.  Blacky’s narration is filled with slang and graphic expletives.  There is no real resolution and no answers.  Though Blacky is only 11-years-old, I feel that a more mature audience should read this book. Fiction/Interpersonal relations/Sexual abuse victims           Randi Wall, Cheltanham HS Librarian

*Richler, Nancy.  Your Mouth Is Lovely.  New York:Harper Collins Publishers, 2002.  0-06-009677-2. 357 p.  $25.95.  Gr. 9-12.  From her confinement in the Maltzev Prison in Siberia, Miriam writes to the daughter, Hayya, who was taken from her following her sentencing.  Through a series of letters to Hayya, Miriam tells the story of her own life, from her birth to the event that led her to the prison.  Miriam tries to explain the times she lived in following the Russian Revolution of 1905.  She writes about the small Jewish village where she grew up and her growing involvement in the Socialist Party.  Miriam writes with passion about this volatile time so that her daughter, now safely in Canada, might understand her ancestry.   Historical Fiction                   Constance Roupp

*Roberts, Willo Davis.  Undercurrents. New York: Atheneum, 2002. 0-689-81671-5.  232p. $16.00.  Gr.7-10. Nikki is having trouble dealing with her mother's death, and then her life is complicated by her father's remarriage to Crystal, who acts very strangely at times. The whole family goes to an old beach house that Crystal inherits, the father is called away on business, and the situation worsens when Crystal is alone with her stepchildren and has screaming nightmares about finding dead, bloody bodies. During a terrible fire and crisis,  Nikki finds out Crystal's secret, the terrible violence in her past, and how it is all related to the present. Family   Nancy Chrismer  

Rosen, Michael J.  ChaseR: a novel in e-mails.  Cambridge, Massachusetts:Candlewick Press, 2002.  0-7636-1538-2  $15.99  Gr. 7-10.  Chase and his family move from Columbus to the country.  Their new home is only 60 miles from their old home, but as far as Chase is concerned it is another world, complete with tractor pulls and the invasion of the cicadas.  Chase stays in touch with his friends via e-mail.  (As the title states, the entire story is told through Chase's emails.)  This format provides an entertaining insight into Chase's new surroundings and his adjustment to country life.  Chase's email newsletter and smileys are creative and full of fun.        Constance Roupp

Rosenberg, Liz.  17: A Novel in Prose Poems. Chicago: Cricket Books, 2002.  142 pp.  0-8126-4915-X.  $16.95.  Gr. 10-12. This short novel, sprinkled with humor, follows Stephanie through her junior year in high school. The blank verse poems tell the story of her first love, her life at home, and her friends at school. While written in the third person, the poems are nonetheless very intimate because they relay Steph’s thoughts and feelings in episodes, some of which can almost stand alone as poems. Teens will relate to her feelings and experiences as she develops a friendship with the highly popular Denny, goes on a double date, and meets Denny’s family, which is so different from her own.  This is a very moving but easy-to-read novel with some tastefully presented sexual content. Realistic fiction.    Eleanor Howe          

*Rottman, S.L. Stetson. New York: Viking, 2002. 0-670-03542-4. 222 p. $16.99. Gr. 7-12. Stetson is an unlikely hero. He intends to be the first in his family to graduate high school but one would not discern that looking at the dares he takes in school in order to earn money for food.  He works whatever hours he can at the salvage yard for a boss who seems to care more about Stetson and his future than does Stetson's own alcoholic father.  On top of all this, Stetson arrives home one day to find that he has a younger sister, Kayla, born to his mother after she abandoned Stetson and his father fourteen years earlier.  This is a story that will leave the reader hoping that Kayla and Stetson make it as a family and Stetson realizes his dream of attending college. Family relationships/Alcoholism/High School      Sandra Krieg

Salisbury, Graham. Island Boyz: Short Stories. New York: Randon House, 2002. 0-385-90037-6  260p. $18.99. Gr.7+ . Graham Salisbury’s Short stories are set in Hawaii from the 1940’s through the Viet Nam War.  In a “A Hat of Clouds” Jake’s brother returns home from Viet Nam after losing his leg.  The reader is drawn into the tension as Jake and Randy try to deal with Randy’s new circumstances.  Young men will relate to the situations related in these ten stories: the crush on an older woman, dealing with bullies, what defines someone as a man and most importantly of all, friendships.  Many of these stories can be used as read-alouds.  Short Stories/Hawaii/Coming-of-age                      Sandra Krieg

Schroeder, Karl. Permanence. New York: TOR, 2002. 0-765-30371-X. 447p. $27.95. Gr. 10-12. This is an excellent science fiction novel centering on space travel in the far distant future. Rue, the main character, is a young woman who finds an unclaimed space ship while she is fleeing from an abusive brother,  following the death of her mother and grandmother. Rue has to fight greedy family members, unscrupulous scientists, and  others who want to take away her treasure, but she finds success and eventually happiness while working her way through many adverse circumstances.  A definite must for student who like Star Trek-type stories.  Science Fiction     Nancy Chrismer                                                                      

Schwartz, Virginia Frances.  Messenger.  New York:  Holiday House, 2002. 0-8234-1716-6.$17.95.  277 p.  Gr. 7+ . Frances is born within weeks of the death of her coal miner father, knowing that she is the messenger sent to help her grieving mother overcome her loss.  Her knowledge of being a messenger from the dead permeates the beginning of the story and reappears at the end.  In between, however, this message loses its importance as her family, Croatian immigrants in Canada, finds survival difficult without the head of the house.  Despite the hardships they do not abandon hope in the future.  Though Frances lyrically narrates the story, it is her determined mother who is the main character and it is the author’s family story that Frances tells.                            Rosanne Zajko

 *Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones. Boston : Little Brown, 2002. 0-316-66634-3. 328 p.  Gr. 9+. 14-year-old Susie Salmon was on her way home in December 1973 when she was brutally raped and murdered by a trusted neighbor.  Susie narrates this stunning first novel from heaven, where she watches events unfold, watching over her family and friends as they share their grief.  At times, naive and sentimental, heart-warming and heart-breaking, this haunting look at the afterlife will not allow you to put it down.                      Pat Naismith

Seely, Debra. Grasslands. New York: Holiday Book, 2002. 0-8234-1731-X. 170 p. $16.95. Gr. 4-8. Thirteen-year-old Thomas is being raised by his wealthy maternal grandparents in Virginia after the Civil War. He often dreams of his father in Kansas and the Wild West of cowboys, Indians and buffalo.  One day a letter arrives from his father inviting Thomas to come to Kansas and live with him and his new wife. Thomas eagerly sets out for the Kansas of his imagination but soon faces the rigors of life on the frontier.  Thomas meets interesting people, deals with the loss of his baby brother from the croup, and has a cowboy adventure when their cattle becomes mixed in with a stampeding herd of long-horns.  Seely based Grasslands on family history and includes more information about the town of Caldwell in her author’s note.  She also includes the primary and secondary sources she used in researching this story. Frontier/Pioneer life/Kansas/Coming of age          Sandra Krieg     

*Shaw, Susan. Black-eyed Suzie. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, 2002. 168 p. 1-56397-729-X. $15.95 Gr. 6-8. Twelve-year old Suzie has put herself in a box.  She doesn’t eat, sleep or talk.  Her mother “gave up” her career as a singer to raise her children.  Her father is never there.  Sister Deanna tries to help but it isn’t until Uncle Elliot sees Suzie that anything is done.  She goes to St. Dorothy’s mental hospital where she begins the long journey out of her box.  Afraid to trust anyone new she tries to make bargains with herself to stop memories, pieces of a puzzle come back – a broken bicycle, torn pictures. With the help of Stella, the therapist and Joshua, a fellow patient Suzie begins to understand.   Scary, captivating.   Mental illness, Child abuse                       Jeannie Bellavanc

Sheldon, Dyan.  My Perfect Life.  Cambridge:  Candlewick Press, 2002.  201 p.  0-7636-1839-X.  $16.99. Gr 7-10. "The cast and characters from Confessions of a Drama Queen" are back!" proclaims the dustjacket. This time Lola, the drama queen,  tricks her 15-year-old friend, Ella into running for class president Of course she runs against the ever-popular and rich Carla who pronouonces to everyone that Ella's mother is an alcoholic.  More dirt surfaces during the campaign when Ella finds out that Carla's father made a pass at Lola.  The plot proceeds with a predictable conclusion.  Ella discovers a strenght of character that she did not know that she possessed.  This book will appeal to those who enjoy reading about teen issues and who were looking for a sequel to Confessions….  Teen relationships, squel                      Susan Mower

Skurzynski, Gloria. The Clones. New York: Atheneum Books, 2002. 181 p.  0689-84263-5. $16.00 Gr. 6-9. This is the second book in the Virtual Wars Chronologs. Fifteen-year-old Corgan who along with Sharla and Brig helped win the Virtual War for the Western Hemisphere is  now living in the Isles of Hiva. Brig has died but Sharla has cloned twins from his DNA. She brings Corgan one of them, Seabring to raise in secret while she raises Brigand in the Doomed City.   The twins grow at a rapid rate, nearly a year every two months.  When they are finally brought together, they have completely different personalities which leads to near deadly consequences. Brigand is selfish, cunning, and domineering, a future tyrant.  Is it an accident that he injures his clone-twin? Skurzynski leaves the reader hanging with the possibility of another conflict .  Book three, The Revolt can't come too soon. Science fiction/Cloning                           Jeannie Bellavance

Snyder, Midori. Hannah's Garden.  New York:  Viking, 2002.  0-670-03577-7.  247p.  $16.99. Gr. 8 +. Seventeen-year old Cassie Brittman is preparing for her violin recital and her prom, when her beloved grandfather falls ill.  She accompanies her irresponsible mother back to her grandfather’s farm, where they discover that the farm has been abandoned and vandalized, and her grandfather, who is Intensive Care, may be in danger from the sinister neighbor who has been caring for him.  Through dreams, her grandmother’s diary, and bits and pieces of conversations with her mother and grandfather, Cassie begins to understand that there is another world to which her family belongs – a fairy family.  A rival and violent fairy family is fighting for control of the farm, the one unspoiled place where fairies can live.  The thrilling climax, where supernatural forces battle for the garden and Cassie, will have readers unsure about the outcome until the end.  An intriguing blend of fantasy and realistic fiction, this is a good introduction to the fantasy genre for readers not ready to tackle more involved plots.  Fantasy/Realistic Fiction.          Rosanne Zajko       

Soto, Gary.  Fearless Fernie:  Hanging out with Fernie and Me. New York:  Putnam, 2002.  0-399-23615-5.  64 p. $14.99. Gr. 5-8. A collection of poetry by Gary Soto with a common theme, boys growing up into adolescence. He writes short poems about two adolescent middle school boys who have been best friends since birth.  Includes poems about their capers at school, home, sports, and all of the embarrassing and crazy events in the life of  boys this age.  Black and white illustrations help create the mood.  Good choice for middle school boys.  Poetry, Friendship.                     Susan Krenicky

Stewart, Jennifer J.  The Bean King’s Daughter.  New York:  Holiday House, 2002.  0-8234-1644-5.  138 p.  $16.95. Gr. 4–7. Fast paced and an easy read, this novel is about 12 year Phoebe who is suddenly orphaned by the death of her 81 year old billionaire father.  Phoebe is left in the care of her butler and her new young step-mother, Vicki, who Phoebe has never met. Vicki is one of many in a string of step-mothers who Phoebe has run off by her pranks and Phoebe decides that this one will be no different.  When the press begins to continually harass the family and it becomes too much, Phoebe, Vicki and the butler, Henry escape to Arizona. Phoebe learns a lot about life, and those with whom her father has entrusted her care. Her step-mother turns out not to be a greedy gold-digger and Henry isn’t as haughty as he seems.  Everything works out neatly.  A good escape.  Realistic Fiction                       Susan Krenicky

Taylor, Theodore. Lord of the Kill. New York: Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, 2002. 0-439-33725-9  246 p. $16.95. Gr. 5-9. In this sequel to The Sniper, Ben Jepson is again left in charge of his parents wild cat preserve.  In this mystery/adventure sixteen year-old Ben finds the body of an Asian woman in one of the jaguar pens.  As the police investigation begins, it is revealed that Ben's dad has many enemies because of his stance on 'canned hunting' of animals, the Chinese Triads (gangs) trade in tiger bones, and the local residents who fear that the rescued wild cats on the preserve will escape.  This fast paced novel will hold the attention of the most reluctant reader. Mystery/Adventure/Wildlife rescue/Endangered species                        Sandra Krieg

Thesman, Jean. Between. New York: Viking, 2002. 197 p.  0-670-03561-0. $15.99 Gr. 5-8. This is an environmental story with a twist.  What if humans were the creation of what we think of as mythical creatures? In 1941 Charlotte Thacker; her sister, Meg; and adopted brother, Will along with her cousins are sent to Gull Walk, an inn off the Puget Sound when their father is sent overseas and their mother is placed in a sanitarium with tuberculosis.  Charlotte discovers that something or someone is taking unusual notice of Will.  Slowly it is revealed that Will is the last of the Fair Ones.  Only he can save the Darkwood and its mythical inhabitants  from the destruction by Mudwalkers (humans).  Environmentalism/Fantasy/Brothers and sisters              Jeannie Bellavance

Tolan, Stephanie S.  Surviving the Applewhites. New York: HarperCollins, 2002.  0-06-623603-7. 216p. $15.99. Gr. 7-10. When spike-haired, pierced Jake Semple arrives at the Creative Academy in North Carolina after having been expelled from many schools, he does not expect to last long.  The school, run by the Applewhite family, consisted of E.D., Cordelia, Hal, Destiny, and Jake.  The adult Applewhites, involved in different artistic careers, run the school rather loosely, but Jake thrives there and finds a special talent in theater.  Soon, it becomes clear that Jake has turned his life around and the Applewhites are better for having him around.       Family Relationships                      Pat Bender

Torres, Laura. Crossing Montana. New York: Holiday House, 2001. 179 p.  0-8234-1643-7. $15.95 Gr. 7-10. Callie Gray makes the trip across Montana not only to find her grandfather but also to find answers to her family’s secrets.  Why did father die?  Why has her mother all but given up? On her trip she decides to take charge.  She discovers the unsettling truth about her father, her own worth in the eyes of others, her sense of family.  Her pesky brother, Stink; her friend, Raf, and her grandfather all bring out the best in Callie.  Family problems                   Jeannie Bellavance              

Tullson, Diane.  Saving Jasey.  Custer, WA:Orca Book Publishers, 2001.  1-55143-220-X. 172 p. $6.95.  Gr. 5-9.  Every since he was six years old, Gavin has taken refuge from his abusive home with his friend Trist  McVeigh, and his family.  Now in the eighth grade, Gavin is experiencing an increase in the violence at home. His older brother has begun dealing drugs, his father’s drinking continues, and his mother remains withdrawn.  In addition to the situation at home, Gavin sees Jasey, Trist’s older sister, becoming sullen and self-destructive.  In trying to intervene with Jasey, Gavin learns that all families have problems, some just come in different disguises than others. Family                      Constance Roupp

*Vande Velde, Vivian.  Heir Apparent.  San Diego:  Harcourt, Inc., 2002.  0-15-204560-0.  315p. $17.00.  Gr. 6-8. Giannine, a 14-year-old troubled girl, becomes trapped in a total immersion virtual reality game when equipment is damaged.  Her only way out of the magical kingdom is to win the game by making decisions that help her to understand her real-life problems. Fantasy               Michelle Stone

Voigt, Cynthia.  Bad Girls in Love.  New York:  Atheneum, 2002.  0-689-82471-8.  233p.  $15.95.  Gr. 7-10. In the fourth novel of the Bad Girls series, the girls find love and heartbreak in junior high.  Best friends Margalo and Mikey start to like boys and provide great insight into the daily lives of their eighth grade counterparts.  Mikey is infatuated with the new lead in the school play, Shawn Macavity, but she’s not the only one.  With the school dance fast approaching, Mikey will stop at nothing to get Shawn’s attention, while Margalo begins to see him for more than just a cute guy.  This is a funny tale to which many young girls will relate.  Teenage Realism                       Leslie Mastronardo

Wallens, Scott. Exposed.  New York, Puffin Books, 2002.  0-14-230099-3.  182p.  $9.95.  Gr. 9-12. This second book in a series deals primarily with Jeremy a popular running back who find himself attracted to another male. Caught kissing a young man he is exposed on the school’s web site.This experience leads him to discover his true friends.  This book is very well written on a sensitive issue. We are also introduced to other characters each with their own individual problem. Will definitely purchase the series. School story.                 Donna Darmofal

Weisberg, Joseph.  10th Grade.  New York: Random, 2002.  0-375-50584-9, $23.95.  Gr. 9-12. A unique peek into the inner life of a self-conscious teenage boy as Jeremy Reskins, relects (ungrammatically) on his sophomore year at a New Jersey suburban high school. Jeremy records his romantic interest in new girl, Renee, his relationship with his family, his budding sexuality, and the nature of high school friendship.  Painful, awkward, and funny, much like 10th grade.  Realistic                                        Joyce Valenza

Wild, Margaret.  Jinx  New York: Walker, 2002. 0-8027-8830-0.  215 p. $14.40. Gr. 7-12. Jinx is a story that has been written in poem format.  It is about a girl who feels as if she has been jinxed because all of her boyfriends seem to die.  Even though not every student has this “jinx”, many will relate to the issues and situations in this book.  You have to understand life and how people feel to appreciate this book.                     Palisades Middle School Student

Williams, Tamara.  Truth and Lies.  Toronto: James Lorimer & Co., 2002.  0-55028-756-7 (paper), 0-55028-753-2 (boards).  123p.  $4.99.  Gr. 9+. This is a powerful little book, thin and “urban” enough to appeal to marginal readers, that deals with issues that are very much a part of high school life.  A gay art student is badly beaten, and another art student, a young woman that has been his friend since childhood, feels compelled to seek answers.  Along the way, she and another girl are forced to examine their relationships with their boyfriends, the meaning of friendship, what it means to be true to themselves, and how to work toward their dreams.  Alcohol and drug use and decisions about sex are also addressed.  This book is a very quick read, and doesn’t have time to go into all these topics in depth, but as an eye-opener for social issues, in an easily digestible form, or as a discussion-starter, it is first rate.  Coming-of-Age                         Pam Kavanaugh

Yep, Laurence.  Spring Pearl : the Last Flower. Middleton, Wi.  American Girl,  2002.. 1-58485-519-3.  204p.  $10.95Gr. 5-8. After the death of her parents, Spring Pearl, a young Chinese girl, finds herself orphaned and alone on the streets of a bustling city.  When a friend of her father’s takes her in, it is not easy to ignore the family’s charitable outlook on what they have done.  Spring Pearl begins to feel utterly alone, especially in the company of the family.  As a safe haven, she flees to the garden, a place of memories and joy.  Throughout the story she finds comfort in nurturing the tiny seeds, and as they begin to blossom, she too opens up to the world and reveals the treasures within.  I felt that this was a beautifully written story and incredibly descriptive, so descriptive I felt I was there!  Laurence Yep is one of my favorite authors, and I consider this book one of his best.                                          Ancillae Assumpta Academy Student

Young, Ronder Thomas.  Objects in Mirror.  Brookfield, Conn., Roaring Brook Press, 2002.  0-7613-2600-6.  168p.  $15.95.  Gr. 7-10. Sixteen- year-old Grace has a lot to deal with at home.  Her father  is recuperating from a crippling stroke, her mom is busy with her older daughter’s 2yr. old baby and Grace’s lost sister Sophie returns.  At  school she has a schedule problems and her friend Allison asks her to plan a surprise birthday party for her.  Students will relate to the struggles Grace faces and how she overcomes them.  Family and school relationships.       Donna Darmofal

*TOP 10 or So! List

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