Geronimo
by Joseph Bruchac
Published 2006 by Scholastic

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0439353602

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Jacket Notes:

For this new historical novel, the acclaimed author of "Sacajawea" now turns his attention to the great Apache warrior and spiritual leader.

04/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 5-10 -Starting in 1886 with Geronimo's final surrender, this novel is told from the perspective of his adopted grandson Little Foot, and follows the Chiricahua Apaches from their home in Arizona to Florida. At Fort Marion, the group dwindles, losing children to the Carlisle Indian School, where those who contract tuberculosis are sent home to die and spread the disease. Little Foot escapes this fate and eventually joins the U.S. Infantry. Bruchac's narrative meanders and shifts, but he sprinkles the trail with excitement and humor. Little Foot himself points out, -I know that most White Eyes readers are less patient than Indians and prefer short stories that are easy to understand,- and some young people will find this one difficult. But fans of history, or of themes of survival and freedom, will find it fascinating-and certainly different from other fare about the man. The fictional Little Foot affords Bruchac the perfect point of view to observe and interpret Geronimo's life, explaining where the history books got it wrong, and offering insights that won't be found there. There is not enough explanation about how Bruchac constructed his story from his sources (listed at the end). Nonetheless, as the author develops a compelling picture of a people driven by universal and recognizable motives, readers may find this story more persuasive than the nonfiction sources available in most libraries.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA

Half-Moon Investigations
by Eoin Colfer
Published 2006 by Miramax Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0786849576

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 01/30/2006

This tale from the author of Artemis Fowl tracks the hilarious exploits of brainiac Fletcher Moon, a mere 12 years old and already a graduate of an online detective course. His first case:über-brat April Devereux, "head of an entire tribe of Barbies," hires him to find out who swiped the lock of a pop star's hair that she bought on eBay. Suspicion centers on Red Sharkey, oldest son of the town's leading crime family. Unraveling the mystery leads Fletcher to break rule No. 1 in his detective's handbook-"Be invisible"-and most of the other rules, too. The large but distinctive supporting cast includes a female school principal whose iron hand is aided by a pair of menacing Dobermans, and Fletcher's older sister, Hazel, who works out her boy troubles by writing plays and poetry while locked in her bedroom. "How about a rhyme for pathetic-" she asks Fletcher, who suggests "prosthetic" (this for Hazel's "epic poem about [his] date with April"). While the setting is suburban and the well-to-do kids have the same fixations as their American cousins, Colfer tailors the details specifically to Ireland. April's cousin May is a step dancer ("Go and do your Riverdance thing," April says dismissively at one point), the boys play hurling ("the Irish sporting version of pitched battle") and swear loyalty by invoking the Irish marble oath, "Brick miss must celt ." It's a place many readers will very much enjoy visiting. Ages 10-up.(Apr.)FYI:A q&a with author Eoin Colfer ran in the January 26 issue of Children's Bookshelf; seewww.publishersweekly.com/bookshelf

04/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 4-7 -Diminutive Fletcher Moon may not be the most popular 12-year-old in his Irish town but he's proud-maybe a little too proud-of the badge that he constantly flashes to let everyone know that he's an online graduate of a private detective academy in Washington, DC. The other kids admit that Fletcher, aka -Half Moon,- has solved several tough cases at Saint Jerome's Elementary and Middle School, so they come to him when they have a problem. But when super all-in-pink girly-girl April Devereux hires him to find a lock of a pop star's hair that she claims was stolen by one of the Sharkeys-a family of well-known criminals-everything starts going wrong for Fletcher. His precious badge is taken, he finds a single huge footprint at every crime scene, and he's picked up by the local police for arson when the Devereux playhouse burns down. When Fletcher goes on the run, who becomes his number-one ally- Young Red Sharkey. A typically funny Colfer offering without the mania of the -Artemis Fowl- series (Hyperion), the story wittily delivers the message that some people aren't-for good or ill-who they appear to be. Kids who enjoy comic mysteries will have a great time withHalf Moon , and the conclusion drops plenty of hints that this could become a series.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library

My Almost Epic Summer
by Adele Griffin
Published 2006 by Putnam Publishing Group

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0399237844

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Jacket Notes:

Fired from her own mom's hair salon, Irene now babysits kids on the beach. There, she meets a beautiful lifeguard whose diva attitudes and dangerous obsessions supply Irene with enough real-life drama and romance to fill a book.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 03/13/2006

Griffin (Sons of Liberty ) creates a lighthearted rendering of teenage ennui in this novel introducing Irene, a 14-year-old who is stuck at home in New Jersey while her best friend "spends a glorious, glamorous summer" at tennis camp in Vermont. Irene is passionate about two things: reading books and sketching hairdos of her favorite literary heroines. She dreams of owning her own beauty salon some day, but for the time being, she must tolerate a much less exciting career, baby-sitting the two Prior children five days a week. Just as she's resigned herself to spending hot, miserable days at the beach with her two young wards, Irene meets Starla, a stunningly beautiful but narcissistic lifeguard. The plot thickens when a mutual attraction blossoms between Starla's ex-boyfriend and Irene. Through a first-person narrative full of irony, the author conveys her heroine's alternating envy of and fascination for Starla as well as Irene's gradual realization that she may, after all, be a more interesting person than a bronzed-to-perfection diva. E-mails from Irene's friend at camp and an endearing nun, who was Irene's former English teacher, add an extra dimension to the novel, which underscores such morals as "You can't judge a book by its cover" and "Beauty is only skin deep." Ages 11-up.(Apr.)

04/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 7-10 -Avid reader Irene, 14, keeps a sketchbook of famous literary hairdos for her future salon, Heroine Hairstyles, to be located in L.A., about as far from New Jersey as she can get. Things go awry when she's let go three weeks into her summer job at her mother's beauty shop. Forced to take unglamorous work babysitting two fidgety kids, the teen ignores her friends' e-mails (they're on interesting vacations), is impatient with her young charges, and generally feels sorry for herself. At Larkin's Pond, she meets gorgeous lifeguard Starla Malloy and becomes fascinated by her looks and cutting attitude. Irene tries to cultivate a friendship with the girl and suddenly life goes from dreary to exciting. Starla scoffs at Irene's literary interests but uses a blog to write bad poetry to -D,- the boyfriend who dumped her, and to make veiled (and atrociously misspelled) digs at Irene. Summer gets more complicated when the latest of Irene's mother's volatile, drifter boyfriends takes off and the teen is left trying to console the heartbroken woman. As she gets in deeper with Starla, who is obsessing over her ex-boyfriend's rejection, Irene finds herself attracted to the young man who spurned the lovely but spiteful lifeguard. Sometimes the protagonist acts like a typical teen and at others she seems too wise and well read for her age, but Griffin has created vivid scenes, believable dilemmas, and satisfyingly human characters in this novel of self-discovery.-Roxanne Myers Spencer, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
Published 2005 by Megan Tingley Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0316160172

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Jacket Notes:

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. When she meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen--a vampire--her life takes a thrilling and terrifying romantic turn. Young Adult.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 07/18/2005

Isabella Swan, 17, narrates this riveting first novel, propelled by suspense and romance in equal parts. The story opens with a cryptic scene of the heroine "facing death," then flashes back to Bella's departure from Phoenix, where her mother lives with her new husband, as the teen heads off to live with her father, the police chief in Forks, Wash. From the first day at her new high school, she finds herself magnetically drawn to Edward Cullen, whose behavior towards her is erratic ("I'd just explained my dreary life to this bizarre, beautiful boy who may or may not despise me"). Then she finds out why his interest in her runs hot and cold: he is a vampire--but of an unusual variety. Edward, his siblings and their adoptive parents have disciplined themselves to feed on animals rather than humans; and Edward is obsessed with Bella. Other elements factor into the plot, including a rival group of vampires who are not as disciplined as the Cullens. This plot twist (which includes a subplot about one of the Cullens' past life) contributes to a rushed denouement (much of it takes place offstage) that is perhaps the novel's only weakness. The main draw here is Bella's infatuation with outsider Edward, the sense of danger inherent in their love, and Edward's inner struggle--a perfect metaphor for the sexual tension that accompanies adolescence. These will be familiar to nearly every teen, and will keep readers madly flipping the pages of Meyer's tantalizing debut. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)

10/01/2005 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up- Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls for vampire. This tension strips away any pretense readers may have about the everyday teen romance novel, and kissing, touching, and talking take on an entirely new meaning when one small mistake could be life-threatening. Bella and Edward's struggle to make their relationship work becomes a struggle for survival, especially when vampires from an outside clan infiltrate the Cullen territory and head straight for her. As a result, the novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive. Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it.-Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library