Cool New Books for March

Among the titles featured in March's roundup of cool new books is WOLF BROTHER, the first installment in Michelle Paver's The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, which follows the adventures of twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion. Garth Nix continues his Keys to the Kingdom series with DROWNED WEDNESDAY, while Nancy Drew returns with another baffling case to solve. And for all you baseball fans, we have three picture books that are sure to keep you entertained before the regular season gets underway.

Chapter Books

THE CHAIN LETTER
Julie Schumacher
Delacorte Press
ISBN: 0385731698
Ages 10-14
208 pages

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Livvie, who is not the superstitious type, tears up a chain letter and throws it away. She thinks nothing of it --- until she's humiliated in gym class, falls down her back stairs, and gets invited to Thanksgiving dinner at Peter Finch's house. Peter's dad Phil has crooked teeth and a secret up in his study. There is no way Livvie wants Phil to date her mom. Clearly, her friend Joyce was right: breaking the chain was a huge mistake. The only way to set things straight is to find out who sent the letter in the first place.

DELIVER US FROM NORMAL
Kate Klise
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439523222
Ages 10-14
256 pages

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Life in Normal, Illinois is difficult for Charles because his family isn't normal at all. The Harrisongs are poor --- they have five kids and rent a house with no air-conditioning. And when Charles's older sister Clara's campaign for seventh-grade class president is broadsided by the cruel actions of her classmates, things really begin to fall apart. Charles's parents decide on a major change, but they can't even leave Normal in a normal way. Then the real adventure begins.

DROWNED WEDNESDAY: The Keys to the Kingdom, Book Three
Garth Nix
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 0439700868
Ages 9-12
400 pages

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Everyone is after Arthur Penhaligon --- strange pirates, shadowy creatures, and Lady Wednesday, whose gluttony threatens both her world and Arthur's. As Arthur gets closer to the heart of his quest, the suspense and mystery grow more and more intense.

DROWNED WEDNESDAY is the third thrilling installment in New York Times bestselling author Garth Nix's series. This is the first book in the series to be published in hardcover --- and due to popular demand, Scholastic is simultaneously releasing hardcover editions of the first two books!

EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS
Deborah Wiles
Gulliver Books/Harcourt
ISBN: 0152051139
Ages 8-12
272 pages

Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger has attended 247 funerals. But that's not surprising, considering that her family runs the town funeral home. And even though Great-uncle Edisto keeled over with a heart attack and Great-great-aunt Florentine died six months later, Comfort knows how to deal with loss --- or so she thinks. She's more concerned with avoiding her crazy cousin Peach and trying to figure out why her best friend, Declaration, suddenly won't talk to her.

MADCAT
Kathy Mackel
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006054869X
Ages 8-12
192 pages

MadCat Campione is the best twelve-year-old catcher in New Hampshire. This year her team, the Sting, is going National, which means they'll be playing against the best girls from all over the country. But suddenly the game isn't as much fun --- half the team has been cut to make room for hotshots from other towns, and their coach tells them that the most important thing is to play to win. The Sting is accumulating victory and victory, and they know nothing can stop them. But is winning really more important than anything?

THE MAGICIAN'S BOY
Susan Cooper
illustrated by Serena Riglietti
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 068987622X
Ages 8-12
112 pages

A Boy works for a Magician. He polishes the Magician's wands and catches the rabbits that the Magician pulls out of hats. But the Boy's favorite job is operating the puppets for the Magician's famous puppet play, "Saint George and the Dragon" --- until one terrible day when, in the middle of a performance, the Boy can't find the Saint George puppet. The Magician is furious. He points a long magical finger at the Boy, who is suddenly in the strange Land of Story where he must find Saint George.

UNCIVIL ACTS: Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective #10
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin
ISBN: 0689869371
Ages 8-12
160 pages

A Civil War reenactment has the whole town of River Heights up in arms. The battle begins when everyone starts choosing a side. Then someone starts to tamper with the battlefield, digging holes a few nights before the reenactment. After a little sleuthing, Nancy Drew starts to wonder whether some participants are trying to cheat and possibly hurt a few people in the process. And if so, the bigger question is why?

WOLF BROTHER: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1
Michelle Paver
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060728256
Ages 10-up
304 pages

Six thousand years ago, evil stalks the land. Only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. Torak and Wolf are joined by an incredible cast of characters as they battle to save their world, in this first installment of The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

Picture Books

THE ANIMAL RESCUE STORE
Elizabeth Swados
illustrated by Anne Wilson
Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439554764
Ages 4-8
48 pages

Turtles in trouble, a puppy left in the rain, a llama with an attitude, a batch of baby alligators --- they all call the Animal Rescue Store their home until sweethearted Sidney finds exactly the right person to adopt them.

BALLPARK: The Story of America's Baseball Fields
Lynn Curlee
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689867425
All ages
48 pages

Yankee Stadium. Fenway Park. Busch Stadium. Wrigley Field. Just seeing the names of these well-known ballparks must stir up a lot of memories for the most passionate fans of the sport. In BALLPARK Sibert Honor Award winner Lynn Curlee explores both the histories and cultural significances of America's most famous ballparks, as well as the changing social climate that accompanied baseball's rise from a minor sport to the national pastime.

MISS LADY BIRD'S WILDFLOWERS: How a First Lady Changed America
Kathi Appelt
illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060011076
Ages 7-10
40 pages

This beautiful picture book tells the heartwarming story of how Lady Bird Johnson grew up loving wildflowers and then shared that love with the nation when her husband, Lyndon Johnson, was elected president. When Lady Bird became First Lady, she made it her mission to ensure that every part of America --- even highways and cities --- would have flowers for all to see.

MUDBALL
Matt Tavares
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763623873
Ages 6-10
32 pages

Andy Oyler is the shortest player on his baseball team, not to mention the whole league. And no matter how hard he tries, he just can't seem to get a hit. But one spring day in 1903, a sudden change in the weather leads to a radical shift in Andy's luck --- and as Andy soon discovers, even the shortest player can become the game's biggest hero!

ONCE UPON AN ORDINARY SCHOOL DAY
Colin McNaughton
illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374356343
Ages 5-8
32 pages

The boy's breakfast is ordinary, his walk to school is ordinary, even his thoughts are ordinary. But when he goes to his classroom and sits down at his desk, his day begins to change. A new teacher, Mr. Gee, bursts into the classroom with an extraordinary idea that challenges all the children to use their imagination. Suddenly an ordinary day is turned upside down, and the boy is inspired in a way that will change him forever.

THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD
Phil Bildner
illustrated by C.F. Payne
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689862733
Ages 5-8
32 pages

For the young Brooklyn Dodger fan in this story, the summer of 1951 was a summer for heroes. The Dodgers, with players like Jackie Robinson, Carl Erskine and Clem Labine, faced off against the New York Giants in an unforgettable pennant race. On October 2, 1951, the New York Giants held its breath as the Dodgers faced them for the third, tie-breaking game to determine which team would go on to play the Yankees in the World Series.

--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio

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