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Cool New Books for February
February's roundup of cool new books includes THE VALLEY OF SECRETS, Charmian Hussey's haunting and suspenseful tale about an orphan who suddenly finds himself the only heir to a great estate in the countryside, and John Feinstein's LAST SHOT, in which eighth graders Stevie and Susan Carol (reporters at the NCAA Final Four) have just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing a star player --- and why. We also have picture books that focus on Mother Teresa, Hans Christian Andersen, and the upcoming Easter and Passover holidays.
Chapter Books
 BASKETBALL (OR SOMETHING LIKE IT)
Nora Raleigh Baskin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060596104
Ages 9-12
176 pages
Ever since his sudden move from the city to the suburbs, the one place where North Bridge newcomer Jeremy feels at home is on the basketball court. Tall and lean, Jeremy looks like a star player, but unfortunately he doesn't have the natural talent to shine. Hank is the all-American athlete but isn't sure if that is who he really wants to be. And Anabel is always in the background, watching and listening. But what would happen if she had an opportunity to take a shot on the court?
 CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC
Sarah Darer Littman
Dutton
ISBN: 0525473653
Ages 10-up
193 pages
Justine Silver's best friend, Mary Catherine McAllister, has given up chocolate for Lent, but Justine doesn't think God wants her to make that kind of sacrifice. So instead she makes a truly shocking decision --- to give up being Jewish. Eleven-year-old Justine pours her heart out to her teddy bear "Father Ted" in a homemade closet confessional. But when Justine's beloved Bubbe suffers a stroke, Justine worries that her religious exploration is responsible, and suddenly she must think about her life without Bubbe.
 CRYPTID HUNTERS
Roland Smith
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786851619
Ages 10-up
352 pages
After their parents are lost in an accident, thirteen-year-old twins Grace and Marty are whisked away to live with their Uncle Wolfe --- an uncle they didn't even know they had! The intimidating Uncle Wolfe is an anthropologist who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures believed to be long extinct. Disturbing news about Wolfe's nemesis, Dr. Blakemoor, lead to perilous adventures, and Grace and Marty uncover long-buried secrets about their identity and that of their uncle.
 THE GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA, OR PIRATES GALORE
Sid Fleischman
with black-and-white spot art by John Hendrix
Greenwillow
ISBN: 0060742380
Ages 10-up
208 pages
When The Giant Rat of Sumatra, a pirate ship, drops anchor in San Diego, all twelve-year-old cabin boy Shipwreck wants is to begin his long journey home to Boston. Instead he encounters barefoot bandits, duels, secret identities, betrayals, lost loves, old enemies, new villains --- and razzle-dazzle treasure so well hidden that only someone as quick and clever as Shipwreck could keep up with it. Plucked from the sea by the most notorious pirate in the Pacific, Shipwreck discovers that his adventure is only beginning.
 THE ILLUSTRATED MUM
Jacqueline Wilson
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385732376
Ages 10-up
288 pages
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Dolphin thinks that Marigold, who is covered from head to toe with one-of-a-kind tattoos, is the brightest, most beautiful mother in the world. She just wishes that Marigold wouldn't stay out so late and that her occasional mood spells would go away. Dolphin's older sister Star loves Marigold too, but she's tired of looking after her. So when Star's dad shows up out of the blue and offers to let the girls stay with him, Star immediately jumps at the opportunity. But Dolphin refuses to abandon her own mother.
 LAST SHOT: A Final Four Mystery
John Feinstein
Knopf
ISBN: 0375831681
Ages 10-up
256 pages
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Stevie Thomas is one of two lucky winners of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's contest for aspiring journalists. His reward? A trip to New Orleans and a press pass for the Final Four! But it turns out that the behind-the-scenes action involving coaches, the players, the media, and the fans is more fiercely competitive than anything that transpires on the court. Stevie and his fellow winner, Susan Carol Anderson, overhear what sounds like a threat to throw the championship game. They have just 48 hours to figure out who is blackmailing one of Michigan State's star players --- and why.
 OUT STANDING IN MY FIELD
Patrick Jennings
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439465818
Ages 9-14
176 pages
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Ty Cutter is named after baseball legend Ty Cobb, but the poor boy is not living up to his namesake's reputation when it comes to America's pastime. He loves the sport, but he just isn't good at it --- despite all the efforts of his coach and father, who himself once dreamed of playing in the majors. To complicate matters, Ty's younger sister Daisy is a zillion times better than he is (as well as the school genius). In this humorous and deeply poignant novel, Ty must figure out exactly who he's trying to please --- his father, his teammates, or himself.
 THE VALLEY OF SECRETS
Charmian Hussey
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689878621
Ages 9-up
400 pages
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When Stephen Lansbury, an orphan, suddenly finds himself the only heir to a great estate in the countryside, he sets off to claim his inheritance --- but when he arrives, there is nothing to greet him at Lansbury Hall but a mystery. To escape the slightly creepy feeling that someone is around, Stephen starts reading his great-uncle's diary. And as he learns about his great-uncle's journey through the Amazon jungle nearly seventy-five years before, a fantastic truth unfolds.
Picture Books
 THE MAGIC RABBIT
Richard Jesse Watson
Blue Sky Press
ISBN: 0590479644
Ages 4-8
40 pages
One day, a magic rabbit hops out of a hat and discovers he can do tricks with it. He pulls out some juggling balls, a picnic, and even a car to drive, but there's no one to share in the fun. He reaches into the hat for some new playmates, but the frogs hop off, the mice scurry away, and the birds head for the sky. But before Rabbit gets discouraged, he tries one more trick and out pops another magic hat. Inside he finds the perfect friend: another magic rabbit, just like him!
 MOTHER TERESA
written and illustrated by Demi
Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 0689864078
Ages 7-10
40 pages
Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910. She was called to a religious life at the age of 12, and six years later she traveled to Ireland, where she joined a community of nuns who would eventually bring her to Calcutta. Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, she came to be known as Mother Teresa and oversaw thousands of nuns as they administered to the poor, the starving, and the dying.
Blessed by Pope John Paul II himself, this magnificent biography traces Mother Teresa's life from her first religious calling to her death in 1997 and beatification in 2003.
 THE PERFECT WIZARD: HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN
Jane Yolen
illustrated by Dennis Nolan
Dutton
ISBN: 0525469559
Ages 6-up
32 pages
Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most beloved children's writers of all-time. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, Jane Yolen explores Andersen's youth and how his words were inspired by life experiences. His was a childhood that saw the death of his father, an early love for the theater, and the burning passion to become a writer against all odds.
 THE SECRET SEDER
Doreen Rappaport
illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786807776
Ages 5-9
40 pages
Jacques and his parents are hiding in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, pretending to be Catholics. On the first night of Passover, Jacques and his father gather with other Jews to celebrate the Seder in secret.
For this book, a remarkable story of courage and faith, Doreen Rappaport researched the lives of resistance fighters and Jews in hiding --- brave men and women who survived one of the darkest times in history.
 THE STORY OF THE EASTER BUNNY
Katherine Tegen
illustrated by Sally Anne Lambert
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006050711X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
Everyone knows who the Easter bunny is, but does anyone know how he got started?
In a snug little house on a frigid day, a little white rabbit helps an old couple make chocolate and paint Easter eggs. As each year passes, the rabbit helps out more and more until he finally becomes the Easter Bunny, with the help of a few furry friends, and begins distributing treats to all the children in the cozy village.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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