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March 2009
March’s roundup of Cool New Books includes LUCKY BREAKS, the sequel to Susan Patron’s Newbery Award-winning THE HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY, which returns readers to the desert community of Hard Pan; THE SWORD THIEF by Peter Lerangis, the third installment in the multimedia series The 39 Clues; BEST FRIENDS AND DRAMA QUEENS, book three in Meg Cabot’s tween series that finds Allie Finkle excited (at first) not to be the new girl at school anymore; outstanding picture books from beloved authors Lemony Snicket (THE COMPOSER IS DEAD) and Neil Gaiman (BLUEBERRY GIRL); and FANCY NANCY: EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE!, in which the fanciest girl in the world and her best friend set out to explore the Great Outdoors.
We’re also spotlighting a number of baseball-themed books just in time for the start of the Major League season. In the leadoff spot is Tim Green’s latest sports thriller, BASEBALL GREAT, followed by THE BROOKLYN NINE, THE PRINCE OF FENWAY PARK, THE DESPERADO WHO STOLE BASEBALL and ONE LAST TIME: Good-bye to Yankee Stadium.
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ANYTHING BUT TYPICAL
Nora Raleigh Baskin
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN: 9781416963783
Ages 10-14
208 pages
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Jason Blake is an autistic 12-year-old living in a neurotypical world. Most days it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong. But Jason finds a glimmer of understanding when he comes across PhoenixBird, who posts stories to the same online site as he does.
Jason can be himself when he writes and he thinks that PhoenixBird --- her name is Rebecca --- could be his first real friend. But as desperate as Jason is to meet her, he's terrified that if they do meet, Rebecca will only see his autism and not who Jason really is.
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BASEBALL GREAT
Tim Green
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061626869
Ages 8-12
256 pages
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Josh feels like he's starting to make it big! Jaden, the school reporter, says he's going to take the baseball team to number one. Then his dad pulls him off the field and signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine's youth championship team, the Titans. He says Josh has what it takes to be a baseball great --- and the Titans will help him get there.
Now Josh is gulping down Rocky's "Super Stax" milkshakes to build muscle and trying to fit in with his new teammates --- older, tougher kids who can suddenly become violent. All Josh really wants to do is play ball, but as he gets in deeper with the Titans, there are questions he needs to ask. As Josh and his new friend Jaden investigate their suspicions, they find themselves in a dangerous struggle with a desperate man who doesn't want them to expose the nasty secrets they uncover.
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THE BROOKLYN NINE: A Novel in Nine Innings
Alan Gratz
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780803732247
Ages 8-12
320 pages
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1845: Felix Schneider, an immigrant from Germany, cheers the New York Knickerbockers as they play Three-Out, All-Out.
1908: Walter Snider, batboy for the Brooklyn Superbas, arranges a team tryout for a black pitcher by pretending he is Cuban.
1945: Kat Snider of Brooklyn plays for the Grand Rapids Chicks in the All-American Girls Baseball League.
1981: Michael Flint finds himself pitching a perfect game during the Little League season at Prospect Park.
And there are five more Schneiders to meet.
In nine innings, this novel tells the stories of nine successive Schneider kids and their connection to Brooklyn and baseball. As in all family histories and all baseball games, there is glory and heartache, triumph and sacrifice. And it ain’t over till it’s over.
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THE DOG DAYS OF CHARLOTTE HAYES
Marlane Kennedy
Greenwillow Books
ISBN: 9780061452413
Ages 8-12
240 pages
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It's not that Charlotte Hayes hates dogs. Or that she wants all of them to disappear off the face of the planet. It's just that she doesn't see why everyone loves them so much.
So how did she get stuck taking care of a big, drooling Saint Bernard puppy? Rain or shine, hot or cold, poor Beauregard is left chained in the backyard. No one ever plays with him or checks his food and water bowls, and Charlotte can tell he's sad. So she makes sure he has water, gives him belly rubs and feeds him every day. But it's kind of a nuisance, and she knows Beauregard deserves better. There's a new girl at school who lives in a huge house --- plenty of room there for a big dog.
Charlotte has an idea. Now all she needs is a plan. Maybe a lot of plans.
How do you rescue your own dog?
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FORTUNE’S MAGIC FARM
Suzanne Selfors
Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780316018180
Ages 8-12
272 pages
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This story takes place in the dark, dank village of Runny Cove. There, orphan Isabelle works her fingers to the bone at the Magnificently Supreme Umbrella Factory, struggling to support herself and her Grandma Maxine. That is, until Isabelle discovers that she has inherited Fortune's Farm, the last place on earth where magic grows. Now Isabelle must use the magic to save the people of Runny Cove without spilling the secret of Fortune's Farm to the world --- or worse, to the greedy factory owner, Mr. Supreme, who wants to exploit the magical fruit for his own selfish purposes.
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LIFTING THE SKY
Mackie D’Arge
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
ISBN: 9781599901862
Ages 10-14
320 pages
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Blue’s wandering mother has always told her, “Just bloom where you’re planted.” And it’s been a pretty good motto, considering how Mam never stays put in one place for very long. Then Mam gets hired as a hand at a tumble-down ranch, and for the first time, Blue sees a place she longs to call home for good. There she makes a friend in an enigmatic Shoshone boy whose search for an ancient petroglyph intrigues her. And it’s there that the faint lights Blue has always been able to see around people begin to shine with new energy. But Mam begins to show signs of getting restless once again, and when the father who abandoned Blue years ago suddenly shows up at the ranch, the family she always thought she wanted may not be the one her heart is craving after all.
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THE PRINCE OF FENWAY PARK
Julianna Baggott
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060872427
Ages 8-12
336 pages
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Twelve-year-old Oscar Egg believes he is cursed, just like the Boston Red Sox. His real parents didn't want him, and now his adopted mom has dumped him off to live with his strange, sickly dad.
But there's something Oscar doesn't know. The Red Sox really are cursed, and not just because they sold Babe Ruth in 1919. Someone deliberately jinxed the team, and the secret to breaking the Curse lies deep below Fenway Park, with Oscar's dad and the Cursed Creatures, a group that has been doomed to live out their miserable lives below Fenway until the Curse is broken.
Oscar knows he can be the one to break the Curse, allowing the Red Sox to finally win the World Series and setting the Cursed Creatures free. But some of the creatures are angry. Some don't want the Curse broken. Some want Oscar, and the Red Sox, to fail and remain cursed forever.
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The 39 Clues
THE 39 CLUES, BOOK THREE: THE SWORD THIEF
Peter Lerangis
Scholastic
ISBN: 9780545060431
Ages 9-12
160 pages
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ATTENTION! Amy and Dan Cahill have been located once again, this time in the company of the notoriously unreliable Alistair Oh. Could they have been foolish enough to make an alliance?
Spies report that Amy and Dan seem to be tracking the life of one of the most powerful fighters the world has ever known. If this fearsome warrior was a Cahill, his secrets are sure to be well-guarded…and the price to uncover them just might be lethal.
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Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls
ALLIE FINKLE’S RULES FOR GIRLS: Book Three – Best Friends and Drama Queens
Meg Cabot
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 9780545040433
Ages 8-12
240 pages
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Allie Finkle is excited when a new girl, who comes all the way from Canada, joins her class at Pine Heights Elementary. Now Allie won’t be the new girl anymore!
But her excitement turns to dismay when the new girl, Cheyenne, starts telling everyone in the fourth grade what to do. Soon Cheyenne has everyone, including Allie’s best friends, Caroline, Sophie and Erica, believing that if they don’t do what she says, they’ll be what Cheyenne accuses them of being --- babies.
But Allie isn’t sure she’s ready to be all grown-up yet. Not if it means chasing boys at recess, not playing her favorite games anymore, and especially...not being herself.
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Corydon
CORYDON & THE SIEGE OF TROY
Tobias Druitt
Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780375833847
Ages 8-12
272 pages
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After the destruction of the city of Atlantis, Corydon is in a self-imposed exile. Clearly his presence only puts his friends in danger. And so he hides out in the desert, tending to goats and camels, keeping his friends safe by staying away.
But, as ever, the gods of Olympos have other plans. Now the city of Troy is under siege, and Corydon’s friends are trapped inside. And so Corydon reluctantly joins them, hoping to help, and fearing that it is he who will tip the scales against them.
In this thrilling conclusion to the trilogy about the gods and monsters of ancient Greece, Corydon knows that it will be up to him to thwart the mighty Zeus if the others are to live. At what cost will he buy their freedom?
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The Lucky Trilogy
LUCKY BREAKS
written by Susan Patron
illustrated by Matt Phelan
Ginee Seo Books/Atheneum
ISBN: 9781416939986
Ages 8-12
192 pages
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On the eve of her 11th birthday, Lucky wants to let loose and become intrepid; she's ready for life to change. But Hard Pan (population 43) drones on like it always has: Lincoln all tied up in knotty matters, Miles newly diagnosed as a genius but as needy as ever, Brigitte running her Café and trying to figure out what it means to be American.
Enter Paloma, tagging along on a visit to Hard Pan with a pack of hungry geologists. She's smart and pretty and fun --- definitely best-friend material. But will Lucky be able to cope with tomato worms, Short Sammy's mysterious box, the potential for disaster when Paloma's parents visit Hard Pan, and Lincoln's fame among knot tyers of the world?
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STORM
STORM: THE BLACK SPHERE
E. L. Young
Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 9780803732681
Ages 10-up
320 pages
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Six of the world’s leading scientists were at work on a top-secret assignment --- Project FIREball. Now five of them are dead, and one is on the run. He carries with him plans for a world-changing technology --- one the CIA, MI6 and a ruthless megalomaniac will stop at nothing to obtain. Will, Andrew and Gaia, the teen geniuses of STORM, join the high-stakes manhunt, racing to the Swiss Alps and into mortal danger, as they enter the heart of the Black Sphere.
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Prequel to THE BOY WHO SAVED BASEBALL
THE DESPERADO WHO STOLE BASEBALL
John H. Ritter
Philomel Books
ISBN: 9780399246647
Ages 8-12
272 pages
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Dillontown was built upon a gold mine. Yet for the villagers, life is about something even more valuable: baseball. Home to the Dillontown Nine, they would give anything to join the ranks of professional ballplayers --- even their gold. Yet to make it, they will need to defeat the world champion Chicago White Stockings --- and their crooked owner, willing to wager anything for the mine, and willing to do anything to avoid losing.
Fortunately, Dillontown is home to two boys who know a little something about winning. One is young Jack Dillon, nephew to Dillontown founder Long John Dillon. The other? A boy on the run, in need of a second chance: none other than Billy the Kid.
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BLUEBERRY GIRL
written by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Charles Vess
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780060838089
All ages
32 pages
• Buy from Amazon.com
This is a prayer for a blueberry girl…
A much-loved baby grows into a young woman: brave, adventurous and lucky. Exploring, traveling, bathed in sunshine, surrounded by the wonders of the world. What every new parent or parent-to-be dreams of for her child, what every girl dreams of for herself.
Let me go places that we've never been, trust and delight in her youth.
Nationally bestselling author Neil Gaiman wrote BLUEBERRY GIRL for a friend who was about to become the mother of a little girl. Here, he and illustrator Charles Vess turn this deeply personal wish for a new daughter into a book that celebrates the glory of growing up.
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THE COMPOSER IS DEAD
written by Lemony Snicket
illustrated by Carson Ellis
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061236273
Ages 5-up
40 pages
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If you have ever heard an orchestra play, then you know that musicians are most certainly guilty of something. Where exactly were the violins on the night in question? Did anyone see the harp? Is the trumpet protesting a bit too boisterously?
In this perplexing murder mystery, everyone seems to have a motive, everyone has an alibi, and nearly everyone is a musical instrument. But the composer is still dead.
Perhaps you can solve the crime yourself. Join the Inspector as he interrogates all the unusual suspects. Then listen to the accompanying audio recording featuring
Lemony Snicket and the music of Nathaniel Stookey performed by the San Francisco Symphony. Hear for yourself exactly what took place on that fateful, well-orchestrated evening.
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FANCY NANCY: EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE!
written by Jane O’Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061684869
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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For the fanciest girl around, the outdoors are out of this world. Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree, set out to explore the fascinating world of wildflowers, trees, leaves, birds and, of course, butterflies in their exclusively glamorous Explorers' Club. With recipes for pinecone bird feeders and extra-fancy lemonade, an official club bird and an exclusive map of the territory, Fancy Nancy is one Explorer Extraordinaire!
Take a look at Nancy's very own enlightening discoveries and find out just how fancy the outdoors can be.
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ONE LAST TIME: Good-bye to Yankee Stadium
written by Ray Negron
illustrated by Laura Seeley
HarperCollins Children’s Books
ISBN: 9780061471629
Ages 4-8
48 pages
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It was the legendary home of baseball immortals, World Series champions and classic moments in sports history, but after 85 years the House that Ruth Built is feeling her age, and the time has come to say good-bye. So as a new Yankee Stadium opens, Ray the Batboy and the Boss summon some of the greatest players who have worn the pinstripes to this hallowed field for one last game. And what a game it is!
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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