Cool New Books for July
July's roundup of Cool New Books includes ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND, book one in Terry Pratchett's fantasy series, The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy; THE LIGHTNING THIEF, the first installment in an action-packed series by Rick Riordan that combines classic Greek mythology with modern-day adventure; GOLDEN & GREY, a funny and heartwarming novel about a boy and his very special friend; and STOP THE CLOCK, in which Nancy Drew must solve yet another baffling mystery in her All-New Girl Detective series.
Chapter Books
 THE FASHION DISASTER THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
Lauren Myracle
Dutton Children's Books
ISBN: 0525472223
Ages 9-up
160 pages
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Alli wants nothing more than to be popular, but fate keeps conspiring to make her totally uncool. Despite the fact that Alli is certain that the universe is plotting against her, she does eventually break into the inner circle of seventh-grade cool. But nothing is as she expected, and there's ugliness lurking behind even the prettiest face. Alli reveals all in her journal as she figures out where she fits in and, most important of all, what it means to be a real friend.
 GOLDEN & GREY (An Unremarkable Boy and a Rather Remarkable Ghost)
Louise Arnold
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689874731
Ages 8-12
272 pages
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Grey Arthur is a ghost who hasn't found his place in the world. Tom Golden is a boy who doesn't fit in at school. When Tom and Grey mutter the same three words, "Life isn't fair," at exactly the same moment, a connection is made between them. Suddenly Grey knows what he has to do: He must become Tom's Invisible Friend. It seems like such a brilliant idea at the time, but then everything changes when an accident gives Tom the ability to see Grey and the rest of the ghost world. Now everyone wants a piece of Tom!
 THE LIGHTNING THIEF: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1
Rick Riordan
Hyperion/Miramax Books
ISBN: 0786856297
Ages 10-14
384 pages
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Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper at his boarding school. He could have sworn that his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows that it's time he finally knew the truth about where he came from. She sends him to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea.
Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends, Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
 LUNCH MONEY
Andrew Clements
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689866836
Ages 8-12
224 pages
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Greg Kenton always has had a natural talent for making money. Just before sixth grade, he learns that nearly every kid at school has an extra quarter or two to spend almost every day. So Greg decides to take advantage of this amazing discovery by selling his peers comic books that he writes and illustrates himself. The teachers and principals should have no problem with this --- after all, school always encourages reading, writing, creativity and individual initiative, right?
 ONLY YOU CAN SAVE MANKIND: The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, Book 1
Terry Pratchett
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060541857
Ages 8-up
224 pages
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As the mighty alien fleet from the very latest computer game, Only You Can Save Mankind, thunders across the computer screen, Johnny Maxwell prepares to blow them into the usual million pieces. But suddenly he gets a message: We surrender. The aliens aren't supposed to do that --- they're supposed to die. And computer joysticks aren't equipped with "Don't Fire" buttons.
It's hard enough trying to save Mankind from the Galactic Hordes, but it's even more difficult trying to save the Galactic Hordes from Mankind in book one of The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy by Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett.
 PETER RAVEN UNDER FIRE
Michael Molloy
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439724546
Ages 9-12
512 pages
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Peter Raven is a bright, young midshipman in the Royal Navy of Great Britain during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Raven, along with the swashbuckling secret agent Commodore Beaumont, uncovers a reckless scheme devised by Napoleon Bonaparte himself. Eager to add America to his empire, Napoleon has made a wicked pact with a murderous pirate known as Count Vallon: In exchange for the pirate's gold, Napoleon will name Vallon "King of America"! Raven, Beaumont, and a beautiful young American heiress, Lucy, must do whatever is humanly possible to destroy this most daring plot.
 STOP THE CLOCK
Nancy Drew (All New) Girl Detective, #12
Carolyn Keene
Aladdin
ISBN: 0689873360
Ages 8-12
160 pages
• Nancy Drew Series
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Just as Nancy is gearing up to help plan the Mahoney Library's 75th anniversary celebration, the library's beautiful old clock is stolen. Nancy soon learns that what's inside the clock is more valuable than the clock itself, so it's up to her to find this treasured possession before the Mahoney Library falls victim to two crimes.
Picture Books
 THE 2000 YEAR OLD MAN GOES TO SCHOOL
Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner
illustrated by James Bennett
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006076676X
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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About four days ago, a plane landed in America with a man who claimed to be 2000 years old. Today, that man is visiting a school to tell the children of the world what it's like to be 2000 years old. Among the things you'll learn: what transportation the 2000 Year Old Man used, what language he spoke, and what food he ate.
Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner have brought their classic 2000 Year Old Man character to school for an unforgettable show-and-tell exhibit. A CD of Brooks and Reiner performing the text is included with the book.
 SCHOOLYARD RHYMES: Kids' Own Rhymes for Rope-Skipping, Hand Clapping, Ball Bouncing, and Just Plain Fun
selected by Judy Sierra
illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Knopf
ISBN: 0375825169
Ages 6-12
40 pages
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In her introduction to this lively collection of traditional playground chants, Judy Sierra writes: "Schoolyard rhymes are catchy and fun. They are easy to remember. In fact, they stick in the mind like bubble gum to a shoe." Included are more than 50 verses ranging from the familiar jump rope rhyme about the mythical lady with the alligator purse to less familiar counting-out ones; from funny rhymes for ball-bouncing and hand-clapping games to the very famous "Liar, liar, pants on fire, nose as long as a telephone wire."
 THE SQUISHINESS OF THINGS
Marc Kompaneyets
Knopf
ISBN: 0375827501
Ages 6-9
40 pages
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Hieronymus is no ordinary genius. He knows everything --- from the squishiness of bugs to the bounciness of sausage. When a single strand of hair appears on his desk that fails to match any of the 36 million hairs in his collection, the natural thing for Hieronymus to do is to search for the hair's origin. He embarks on a quest that will lead him to encounter strange and mysterious people, unusual places, and surprising discoveries.
--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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