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Cool New Books for April
April's roundup of Cool New Books includes ATHERTON: THE HOUSE OF POWER by Patrick Carman, a riveting adventure set in an extraordinary satellite world that begins to collapse and forever change the lives of its inhabitants; THE MISADVENTURES OF BENJAMIN BARTHOLOMEW PIFF: YOU WISH, the first installment in Jason Lethcoe's series about a young orphan who unknowingly sets into a motion a chain of events that threatens to disrupt the balance between the magical realm of wishes and curses; THE NEDDIAD, a rollicking and totally bizarre adventure from Daniel Pinkwater in which circus beasts, ghostly bellboys, ancient mythology and 1940s Los Angeles collide; JOHNNY AND THE BOMB, which marks the intriguing end of Carnegie Medalist Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell Trilogy; and GHOST SHIP by Mary Higgins Clark, whose first book for children will transport readers to a time and place beyond their imaginings.
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Stand-Alone Chapter Books/Middle Grade Novels
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 THE BOOK OF LIES
James Moloney
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060578424
ISBN-13: 9780060578428
Ages 8-12
368 pages
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The newest boy at Mrs. Timmins's Home for Orphans and Foundlings isn't sure who he is. But a strange girl who hides among the shadows of the orphanage tells him that a mysterious wizard's creation, the Book of Lies, holds the answers, and then gives him one clue: "Your name is Marcel." With that knowledge, and the help of three new friends, Marcel begins a quest to find the truth about his real identity --- a truth hidden in the Book of Lies. As Marcel learns more about his past, he begins to wonder if the old book's so-called magical truth might be the greatest lie of all.
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EGGS
Jerry Spinelli
Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0316166464
ISBN-13: 9780316166461
Ages 8-12
224 pages
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Nine-year-old David has recently lost his mother to a freak accident, his salesman father is constantly on the road, and he's letting his anger out on his grandmother. Primrose is a sarcastic and bossy 13-year-old who lives with her childlike, fortuneteller mom and never had a chance to get to know her dad. Despite their differences, David and Primrose become friends and eventually help each other deal with what's missing in their lives.
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THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUB
Heather Vogel Frederick
Simon & Schuster
ISBN-10: 0689864124
ISBN-13: 9780689864124
Ages 9-12
256 pages
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The new book club is scheduled to meet every month --- even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma has already read every book in existence and Jess is missing her mother too much to care. But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading LITTLE WOMEN soon helps four unlikely friends deal with the drama of middle school --- including stolen journals, secret crushes and a fashion-fiasco first dance. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March (from the Louisa May Alcott classic) do?
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MY LAST BEST FRIEND
Julie Bowe
Harcourt Children's Books
ISBN-10: 0152057773
ISBN-13: 9780152057770
Ages 8-12
160 pages
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As Ida May begins fourth grade, she resolves never to make another best friend --- because her last best friend moved away. At first her plan works quite well. Thanks to bratty, bossy Jenna Drews, who hates Ida, no one in class has ever really noticed her before. But then Stacey Merriweather comes to her school. Ida reaches out despite her fear, but doesn't say hello --- instead she writes Stacey anonymous notes. Soon their friendship develops without Ida ever having to reveal her true identity. Until she has no choice.
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THE NEDDIAD: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization
Daniel Pinkwater
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0618594442
ISBN-13: 9780618594443
Ages 10-14
320 pages
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It all begins when Neddie Wentworthstein reads about the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles and tells his father he wants to eat there. So the family packs up and sets off from Chicago by train. During the course of their journey on the Super Chief, which includes pit stops in Topeka, Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon, Neddie meets many of the friends and foes who ultimately will be involved in a showdown to determine the fate of the world.
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SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT
Derek Landy
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0061231150
ISBN-13: 9780061231155
Ages 10-up
400 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Meet Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton. Sure, he may lose his head every once in a while (in fact, he won his current skull in a poker match), but he's much more than he appears to be. Skulduggery avoided the grave so he could save the world from an ancient evil. In order to defeat it, he will need the help of a new partner: a not-so-innocent 12-year-old girl named Stephanie.
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THEODOSIA THROCKMORTON AND THE SERPENTS OF CHAOS
R. L. LaFevers
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0618756388
ISBN-13: 9780618756384
Ages 10-up
343 pages
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Theodosia Throckmorton's father may be head curator of the Museum of Legends and Antiquities in London, but only Theo is able to see all the black magic and ancient curses that still cling to the artifacts in the museum. When Theo's mother returns from her latest archaeological dig with the Heart of Egypt --- a legendary amulet belonging to an ancient tomb --- Theo learns that it comes inscribed with a curse so black and vile that it threatens to crumble the British Empire from within and start a war too terrible to imagine. Determined to return the artifact to its rightful place, Theo comes up with a daring plan that she hopes will save the day.
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Series Books/Sequels
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Atherton
ATHERTON: THE HOUSE OF POWER
Patrick Carman
Little, Brown for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0316166707
ISBN-13: 9780316166706
Ages 8-12
352 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Edgar, a gifted climber, is a lonely boy scaling the perilous cliffs that separate the three realms of Atherton: a humble fig grove, a mysterious highland world of untold beauty and sinister secrets, and a vast wasteland where he must confront an unspeakable danger that could destroy the people of Atherton. When Edgar discovers a book that contains the history of Atherton's origins and ultimate apocalypse, his world --- quite literally --- begins to turn inside out.
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Benjamin Bartholomew Piff
On his 11th birthday, an orphan named Benjamin Bartholomew Piff wishes for the ultimate wish --- and unknowingly sets into motion a chain of events that threatens to disrupt the balance between the magical realm of wishes and curses. Before long, Benjamin has been recruited by the Wishworks Factory director himself to fight the evil henchmen of the Curseworks Factory. In the process, Benjamin will reclaim his original wish --- giving new credence to the old adage "Be careful what you wish for…"
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Emily Windsnap
EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE CASTLE IN THE MIST
Liz Kessler
Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763633305
ISBN-13: 9780763733301
Ages 8-12
208 pages
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When Emily Windsnap discovers an old diamond ring during a class hunt for trinkets, how is she supposed to know that the ring is half the key to unlocking an ancient curse by Neptune himself? Now, with the ring stuck firmly on her hand, Emily finds herself under a new curse: in just a few days, she will no longer be half-human and half-mermaid and must say goodbye to one parent forever. Can she possibly find the other missing ring that will break all the curses? Is there anyone who can help her before it's too late?
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The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy
JOHNNY AND THE BOMB: The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy, Book 3
Terry Pratchett
HarperCollins
ISBN-10: 0060541911
ISBN-13: 9780060541910
Ages 8-up
256 pages
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When 12-year-old Johnny Maxwell finds himself transported through time to the Second World War, he knows when and where the bombs will fall on his hometown. If he warns anyone, he risks changing the future. If he doesn't, innocent people will die. Should Johnny protect the future and let history take its course?
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Picture Books
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GHOST SHIP
written by Mary Higgins Clark
illustrated by Wendell Minor
Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books
ISBN-10: 1416935142
ISBN-13: 9781416935148
Ages 4-8
40 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Thomas loved his summer visits to his grandmother's on Cape Cod. He spent hours wondering about the sailing ships of the past and dreamed of being on one himself. One afternoon, after a night of terrible thunderstorms, Thomas finds an old-fashioned belt buckle deep in the sand. When he picks it up, Silas Rich, who was a cabin boy on a ship called the Monomoy that sailed almost 250 years ago, appears. Suddenly the world of sailing ships is very near as Silas tells his tale.
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THE LONGEST SEASON
written by Cal Ripken, Jr.
illustrated by Ron Mazellan
Philomel Books
ISBN-10: 0399244921
ISBN-13: 9780399244926
Ages 4-8
32 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Even with a blowout loss to start the 1988 Major League Baseball season, Cal Ripken, Jr. had plenty of reasons to love being a Baltimore Oriole. He was playing alongside his brother, and his father was managing the team. They'd win the next game, but then the improbable happened. In THE LONGEST SEASON, the future Hall-of-Famer shares the ups and downs of the Orioles' record 21-game losing streak but also reflects on the rewards of hard work, regardless of what the scoreboard says.
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MARS NEEDS MOMS!
written and illustrated by Berkeley Breathed
Philomel Books
ISBN-10: 039924736X
ISBN-13: 9780399247361
Ages 4-8
40 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Milo doesn't understand why mothers --- who tell their kids to do all kinds of chores and demand they eat broccoli --- seem to be worshipped all over the world. It appears that even Martians need moms, because they've arrived on Earth in search of one person: Milo's mother. Who better to drive them to soccer practice and to pizza parties? Mars is quite a long way to come for a mom. Could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?
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PRINCESS PIGSTY
written by Cornelia Funke
illustrated by Kerstin Meyer
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN-10: 043988554X
ISBN-13: 9780439885546
Ages 4-8
32 pages
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• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Isabella thinks that being a princess is boring, so she tosses her crown out the window. When she steadfastly refuses to retrieve it from the bottom of the fishpond, her father, the king, knows he must do something to teach her a lesson. As a result, Isabella finds herself in a pigsty! How in the world will this little girl react to being in such a messy predicament?
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WHO PUT THE B IN THE BALLYHOO?
written and illustrated by Carlyn Beccia
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
ISBN-10: 0618717188
ISBN-13: 9780618717187
Ages 4-8
30 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Before the days of television, DVDs and video games, there was the circus. When it came to town, people would gather to observe the grace of the bareback rider, the daring of the acrobat, the strangeness of the snake lady and the delight of the dancing pigs. The "spectacular, never-before-seen" Carlyn Beccia has illustrated WHO PUT THE B IN THE BALLYHOO? with vintage-style circus posters that capture the weird and the wonderful, while fascinating sidebars reveal historical truths behind America's circuses.
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--- Compiled and written by Tom Donadio
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