Cool New Books for March
Simon & Schuster has released four books in a brand-new series featuring America's #1 female sleuth, Nancy Drew, with two more scheduled for publication this summer. Nancy's appearance may have changed, but her crime fighting skills remain top-notch. A number of other brave female characters, determined to succeed and make a difference, can be found in this month's roundup of cool new books. They include Katherine Williams, a hard worker who dreams of becoming an artist; eleven-year-old Noi, who has a gift for painting; and Violet, a princess who sets out to prove her strength and courage to the world.
NANCY DREW (ALL NEW) GIRL DETECTIVE
 Nancy Drew #1: WITHOUT A TRACE
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 068986566X
Ages 8-12
150 pages
Nancy Drew has two tough cases to crack. A very old and valuable Fabergé egg has been stolen. Who would have the heart to snatch such a precious family heirloom from someone new in town? And if that's not enough to keep her busy, Nancy must also figure out who is running through gardens and stomping on all the zucchinis!
 Nancy Drew #2: A RACE AGAINST TIME
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0689865678
Ages 8-12
151 pages
Nancy is the captain of her team in the River Heights Biking for Bucks charity road race. Unfortunately, all of the money that she and her friends raised before the race has been stolen. With two days, practically no clues, and a bike race to win, Nancy most definitely has her work cut out for her.
 Nancy Drew #3: FALSE NOTES
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0689865686
Ages 8-12
150 pages
Nancy is looking for a birthday present for her father, Carson. But another mystery comes her way --- one that involves Heather Simmons, a leading candidate in the upcoming election for mayor of River Heights. Nancy and her friends are fairly certain that her daughter Leslie, musician extraordinaire, has been kidnapped. Unfortunately, nobody is saying a word about it!
 Nancy Drew #4: HIGH RISK
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0689865694
Ages 8-12
146 pages
Nancy and Ned are taking flying lessons, and they're having lots of fun. The same, however, cannot be said of Evaline Waters. A huge corporation is suing the River Heights resident for her land; they want to tear down her home and put up a warehouse. Unfortunately, documentation of the zoning law that would protect Evaline's right to keep her land is missing.
 THE GIRLS OF LIGHTHOUSE LANE #1: Katherine's Story
Thomas Kinkade and Erika Tamar
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060543418
Ages 10-up
176 pages
In this first installment of the new Girls of Lighthouse Lane series, thirteen-year-old Katherine Williams introduces us to the town of Cape Light. Down-to-earth and hardworking, Katherine is able to run a nightly shift overseeing her family's lighthouse. At the same time though, she dreams of becoming a painter and moving to Boston. Her desires do not match her family's expectations, so what will she decide to do?
 GRASS ANGEL
Julie Schumacher
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 038573073X
Ages 10-14
208 pages
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Frances Cressen plans to spend the summer at Camp Whitman with her best friend Agnes. But Frances's mother has something else in mind for the family: Mountain Ash, a spiritual retreat in the middle of nowhere. Frances can't think of anything worse than Bible class and babysitting for eight long weeks --- that is, until her mother drives away with her younger brother, Everett, and leaves Frances behind.
Now, a stranger is renting Frances's house while she's stuck living out by the graveyard with her odd Aunt Blue. Frances soon learns that weird things are happening at Mountain Ash and begins to worry. Everett doesn't sound like himself anymore, and her mother never talks about coming home. Are they happier without Frances?
 HEARTBEAT
Sharon Creech
Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060540222
Ages 8-12
192 pages
Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech introduces young readers to Annie, a twelve-year-old girl who loves to run. When she runs barefoot, Annie can hear her heart beating. It's a rhythm that makes sense in a year when everything is shifting: her mother is pregnant, her grandfather is aging, and her best friend, Max, has become increasingly moody. Everything is changing, just like the apple Annie has been assigned to draw one hundred times.
 I KNOW WHO LIKES YOU
Doug Cooney
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689854196
Ages 8-12
208 pages
The kids from THE BELOVED DEARLY are back, but they're facing a potential crisis. Newly appointed Little League team manager Ernie fears it's the end of the Central Comets when star pitcher Swimming Pool's mom tells her that unless she goes to charm school, she'll have to quit Little League. To make matters worse, Ernie's dad is dating Cat Lady, and his teammates think it's a big joke. Just when it appears that all hope is lost, Ernie comes up with a plan --- he'll help Dusty open his own charm school. Now if he can only figure out who left him the note that says, "I know who likes you."
 MABLE RILEY: A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril, and Romance
Marthe Jocelyn
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 076362120X
Age 10-up
279 pages
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It is 1901, and fourteen-year-old Mable Riley dreams of adventure and of becoming a writer. When her older sister leaves home to become a schoolmistress in a faraway town, Mable accompanies her, hoping that their new world will be full of peril and romance. But life at the Goodhand Farm (where the sisters board) is as humdrum as the one they have left behind. Then Mable encounters the mysterious Mrs. Rattle, who is a real writer, and eagerly accepts her invitation to a meeting of the Ladies Reading Society. But the ladies are not discussing books at all, and Mable may soon have more peril than she had bargained for.
 SILK UMBRELLAS
Carolyn Marsden
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763622575
Ages 8-12
144 pages
Eleven-year-old Noi is learning to paint like her grandmother. She and her older sister, Ting, spend many hours in the jungle watching as Kun Ya paints delicate silk umbrellas to sell at the market. But one day, Kun Ma and Kun Pa announce that Ting must start working at a local radio factory to help support the family. Soon, Noi anxiously sees her own fate reflected in her sister's constricted world. Can Noi find a way to overcome her fear of failure and stand up for her gift --- and Kun Ya's tradition --- before it's too late?
 THE BUSY BODY BOOK: A Kid's Guide to Fitness
Lizzy Rockwell
Crown
ISBN: 0375822038
Ages 5-9
40 pages
Lizzy Rockwell understands the importance of exercise, particularly for young people. She explains how your bones and muscles, heart and lungs, nerves and brain all work together to keep you moving. In these pages you'll find children walking, skating, jumping and tumbling --- and soon you'll find yourself moving as well! Rockwell also includes a number of recommendations that will help kids become fit and make physical activity a life-long habit.
 EVANGELINE MUDD AND THE GOLDEN-HAIRED APES OF THE IKKINASTI JUNGLE
David Elliott
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763618764
Ages 7-10
208 pages
Evangeline Mudd has had an unusual childhood, to say the least. Her primatologist parents deeply admire the resourceful and fun-loving lifestyle of the golden-haired ape. So they have raised their daughter as if she were a primate, allowing her to swing from the rafters, eat peanut butter sandwiches with her feet … well, you get the idea. But life takes a drastic turn when Evangeline's parents must go on a research trip to the Ikkinasti Jungle. When they mysteriously fail to return, it's up to Evangeline to travel there and find them herself!
 GOBBLE, GOBBLE, SLIP, SLOP: A Tale of a Very Greedy Cat
Meilo So
Knopf
ISBN: 0375825045
Ages 3-8
30 pages
The subtitle says it all: the cat in this picture book is "very greedy." It is so greedy in fact that it has swallowed a parrot, a nosy old woman, a farmer and his donkey, and even the sultan's royal wedding procession! Each page shows the cat getting fatter and fatter until two small land crabs put an end to the cat's greed. Meilo So has included a glorious gatefold pullout at the end, making the climax doubly hilarious --- and memorable.
 A GOOD DAY'S FISHING
James Prosek
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689853270
Ages 5-10
40 pages
James Prosek, bestselling author of TROUT: An Illustrated History and FLY-FISHING THE 41st, tells the story of a good day's fishing in this beautiful picture book, illustrated with the author's own gentle watercolors. For those who want to learn more about how to fish, a comprehensive glossary of lures and flies can be found in the back of the book. A GOOD DAY'S FISHING will make a fisherman or fisherwoman out of anyone --- even a first-timer.
 MANUELO THE PLAYING MANTIS
Don Freeman
Viking Children's Books
ISBN: 0670036846
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Manuelo is a praying mantis who spends summer evenings listening to outdoor concerts. He wants nothing more than to join in. He tries to make a flute from a cattail, a horn from a trumpet flower and a harp from twigs --- nothing seems to work. But then Manuelo makes a friend who shows him how to create a cello --- and in doing so helps Manuelo achieve his lifelong dream.
 MY FAMILY IS FOREVER
Nancy L. Carlson
Viking Children's Books
ISBN: 0670036501
Ages 4-8
32 pages
The word "family" has different meanings for different people. Some families look alike, some don't. Some families are created through birth, while others are formed by adoption. However, being a family isn't about who you resemble or where you were born; it's about the love and affection that individual members have for one another. In this heartwarming book, a little girl talks about her adoption --- from her parents' excited preparations and long journey by airplane to meet her, to their life together as a family.
 PRINCESS KNIGHT
Cornelia Funke
illustrated by Kerstin Meyer
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439536308
Ages 5-up
32 pages
Violet is a young princess who would like to show the world that she is just as brave and strong as her brothers. Unfortunately, her strict father insists that she get married, and her brothers only mock her when she wants to be included in their fun. Violet resolves to show everyone, once and for all, how intelligent and brave she really is. So she decides to disguise herself as a boy and take part in a knights' jousting tournament. But when the big day arrives, will Violet be able to prove what she's truly made of?
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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