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Best Books of 2003
As 2003 comes to a close, we at Kidsreads.com have assembled some of our favorite books of the year for children. Of course HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX tops our list, but if you know someone who has already read it, we suggest giving that person the audiobook --- read masterfully by award-winning Broadway actor Jim Dale --- on cassette or CD. Note that this audiobook has been nominated for a Grammy award.
A number of entertaining, educational and thought-provoking books also deserve special attention and make for great holiday gifts. They include MAGGIE'S DOOR, which recounts the journey of two youngsters from Ireland to America; the latest misunderstanding from Amelia Bedelia; and an amazing pop-up version of ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.
 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX: Book #5
J. K. Rowling
Scholastic
ISBN: 043935806X (hardcover)
0807220280 (audio cassette)
0807220299 (audio CD)
All ages
896 pages
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• More Harry Potter
Slander campaigns. Teachers who make life miserable. Difficult school exams. Frightening nightmares that won't go away. These are just some of the challenges 15-year-old Harry Potter faces as he enters his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Unfortunately, his problems never seem to go away.
Chapter Books:
 AFTER
Francine Prose
Joanna Cotler Books
ISBN: 0060080817
Ages 9-12
336 pages
Although the shootings that occurred in Pleasant Valley were fifty miles away, a grief and crisis counselor is hired at Central High, security is increased and privileges are being taken away. If you break the new rules, the punishment is severe … and the rules keep changing every day. It's for their own protection, but 15-year-old Tom Bishop and his friends learn that things are far more sinister than they seem. Students and teachers begin disappearing --- and there is no way to stop it!
 ALMOST FOREVER
Maria Testa
Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0763619965
Ages 9-13
80 pages
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A young girl watches her father march off to serve a year in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. A year is a long time when you're waiting for letters or some reassuring words. A year seems endless when you don't know where your father is anymore. A year is almost forever when you're wondering --- and forgetting.
 AMELIA BEDELIA, BOOKWORM
AMELIA BEDELIA Series
Herman Parish
illustrated by Lynn Sweat
Greenwillow
ISBN: 0060518901
Ages 4-8
64 pages
Amelia Bedelia has returned --- just in time to celebrate her 40th birthday! This time, our favorite literal-minded housekeeper is spending a day volunteering at the library. But Mrs. Page, the librarian, is surprised when Amelia Bedelia "borrows" the bookmobile for a bookstore visit. Can Amelia Bedelia explain that she was just trying to go by the book? Or will she have the book thrown at her for this latest misunderstanding?
 DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT AMERICAN HISTORY
Kenneth C. Davis
illustrated by Matt Faulkner
HarperTrophy
ISBN: 0064408361
Ages 8-12
224 pages
• www.DontKnowMuch.com/kids
As bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis knows, history doesn't have to be a boring subject. On the contrary, it can be fun, fascinating and memorable. In his trademark question-and-answer style --- filled with surprising facts, historic reproductions and Matt Faulkner's lively illustrations --- Davis introduces our ancestors who settled the East and expanded the West, as well as those who had been living here all along. He brings the drama and excitement of the American story vividly to life. For more, visit DontKnowMuch.com/kids
 THE DREAM BEARER
Walter Dean Myers
HarperCollins
ISBN: 006029521X
Ages 10-up
192 pages
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Although he's just a teenager, David Curry has a lot to deal with. He loves yet fears Reuben, his troubled father. His older brother Tyrone is turning into someone David doesn't know anymore --- or trust. And his mom is struggling to hold everything together. But then David meets Mr. Moses, an elderly man who tells him that dreams are the key to understanding reality. And with Mr. Moses's gift of dreams, David begins to see the world much differently.
 INKHEART
Cornelia Funke
The Chicken House/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439531640
Ages 9-12
544 pages
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Meggie lives alone with her father, a book restorer. But her father has a deep secret --- he possesses an extraordinary magical power. One day, a mysterious stranger arrives who seems linked to her father's past. Who is this sinister character, and what does he want? Suddenly, Meggie is involved in a breathless game of escape and intrigue as her father's life is put in danger. Will she be able to save him in time?
 LOCOMOTION
Jacqueline Woodson
Putnam
ISBN: 0399231153
Ages 9-12
128 pages
Lonnie's parents died in a fire when he was only seven years old. Now he's eleven and he still misses them terribly. He also misses his little sister, Lili, who had to be put into a separate foster home. But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper. Told entirely through Lonnie's poetry, we see his heartbreak over his lost family, his thoughtful perspective on the world around him and, most of all, his love for Lili and his determination to one day put at least half of their family back together.
 MAGGIE'S DOOR
Patricia Reilly Giff
Wendy Lamb Books
ISBN: 0385326580
Ages 8-12
160 pages
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• Author Interview
This is the story of the journey from Ireland to America told by both Nory Ryan and her neighbor and friend Sean Red Mallon, who are fleeing their homeland due to a deadly potato famine. Their stories are different but they each have the same destination in mind --- the home of Nory's sister Maggie in Brooklyn. Patricia Reilly Giff's long research into Irish history and her great powers as a storyteller is evident in this deeply involving, riveting stand-alone companion novel to NORY RYAN'S SONG.
 MISTER MONDAY (The Keys to the Kingdom, Book One)
Garth Nix
Scholastic Paperbacks
ISBN: 0439551234
Ages 9-up
361 pages
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• Author Talk
In this first installment of a seven-part fantasy series by bestselling author Garth Nix, seventh grader Arthur Penhaligon enters a strange new world as he tries to unravel the secrets of a mysterious key --- and discover his true fate.
 Book 10, THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS Series
Lemony Snicket
illustrated by Brett Helquist
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064410137
Ages 9-12
352 pages
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Lemony Snicket's saga about the charming and intelligent, yet grossly unlucky, Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm fans all over the world. The tenth book in the series features some distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organized troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, secret headquarters, and dangerous antics that should never be tried at home. A chilling book, to say the least!
 SWEAR TO HOWDY
Wendelin van Draanen
Knopf
ISBN: 0375825053
Ages 10-up
144 pages
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Joey Banks is funny, daring, mischievous, and gets in trouble --- though he would be in hot water much more frequently if people found out about half the things he's done. That's because Rusty Cooper, Joey's best friend, knows how to keep a secret. But then comes a secret that is too terrible to tell, yet too terrible to keep --- a secret so huge that it threatens to eat them alive.
Picture Books:
 A IS FOR ABIGAIL: An Almanac of Amazing American Women
Lynne Cheney
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689858191
Ages 4-8
48 pages
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Lynne Cheney, bestselling author and wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, brings us the stories of the many great women who are part of our history and our lives. This marvelous book is filled with details to ponder and discuss in celebration of the diversity, strength and ingenuity of American women. With the letters of the alphabet as an outline, each page contains quotations from historical sources and is illustrated with remarkably detailed drawings by the renowned Robin Preiss Glasser.
 ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
Lewis Carroll
illustrated by Robert Sabuda
Little Simon
ISBN: 0689847432
Ages 4-8
Robert Sabuda, one of today's most innovative and inventive creators of children's books, has outdone himself in this stunning pop-up version of Lewis Carroll's classic story. The unusual settings and creatures of Wonderland spring to life with every turn of the page. Each spread contains majestic pop-ups that take center stage, but they also are accompanied by side panels --- mini-pages that contain the story's text along with smaller pop-ups.
The book's numerous highlights include Alice's initial fall down to Wonderland (very cleverly done), the Mad Hatter's tea party (complete with sparkling silverware and a fuzzy dormouse), and the bizarre croquet match that startles Alice. But it's the final spread that will simply blow you away!
Sabuda's ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND has "family favorite" and international bestseller" written all over it --- a book that BOTH children and adults will treasure for many years to come.
 DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE PIONEERS
Kenneth C. Davis
illustrated by Renee W. Andriani
HarperCollins Juvenile Books
ISBN: 0060286172
Ages 6-9
48 pages
• www.DontKnowMuch.com/kids
The real Wild West was much more dangerous and dramatic than anything you might see in an old-time cowboys and Indians movie. In his latest DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT picture book, Davis introduces the pioneers who braved the Oregon Trail and talks about the challenges they encountered --- from building houses without any wood to having snakes drop in for dinner! Included in this educational book is a unique question and answer format, as well as sidebars, timelines and colorful maps depicting the new frontier. For more, visit DontKnowMuch.com/kids
 THE ENGLISH ROSES
Madonna
Callaway Editions
ISBN: 0670036781
Ages 4-8
48 pages
Nicole, Amy, Charlotte and Grace are best friends. Together, they have sleepovers, picnics and ice-skating parties. But the one girl they never include in their plans is Binah. She seems to have a perfect life, and this makes the girls jealous. But when a fairy godmother takes them on a magical journey, they discover that Binah's life may not be as perfect as they originally thought.
 LITTLE RED
Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York
illustrated by Sam Williams
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0689843402
Ages 3-6
40 pages
It's a beautiful sunny day in Bluebell Woods, and Little Red and her friends are preparing a delicious picnic. But when Little Red discovers a bunny who has hopped onto a lily pad in the middle of the pond and is stranded, she offers to help. Soon Bunny is hopping on dry land just in time to help finish all the delicious picnic food.
Little Red is a very special character --- she was inspired by the hugely successful doll that Sarah Ferguson designed as a mascot for her charity, Chances for Children.
 MR. PEABODY'S APPLES
Madonna
Callaway Editions
ISBN: 0670058831
Ages 4-8
32 pages
Madonna's second book for children takes place in 1949 in Happville, USA. Mr. Peabody is a beloved elementary school teacher and baseball coach. One day, though, he finds himself ostracized when rumors spread through the small town. Mr. Peabody silences the gossip with an unforgettable and poignant lesson about how we must choose our words carefully to avoid causing harm to others.
 OLIVIA . . . AND THE MISSING TOY
Ian Falconer
Atheneum
ISBN: 0689852916
Ages 3-7
42 pages
Olivia has one special toy that she adores more than anything else in the world --- a stuffed animal that she has tea with, wheels around in a stroller, and takes everywhere. But one day the unthinkable happens: Olivia's beloved companion disappears! Of course, Olivia is devastated. Who on earth could be responsible for such a terrible act? She looks everywhere --- under the rug, under the sofa, even under the cat --- and demands answers from her little brother William and baby Ian.
That night (a dark and stormy night) Olivia hears a mysterious noise and heads down the hall to investigate. She nervously enters a room, and standing right before her is the villain!
This fabulous new picture book by stage designer and artist Ian Falconer has a perfect blend of suspense and humor, and is sure to delight youngsters young and old who read it.
 SIMEON'S GIFT
Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
illustrated by Gennady Spirin
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060089148
Ages 4-8
40 pages
Meet Simeon, a humble Renaissance musician who sets off on a quest for knowledge and is eager to improve his craft. On his journey he encounters many sounds: the rhythms of soldiers' drums, the soaring harmonies of monastic chanting, and the vibrations of a crowded city. Understandably, Simeon becomes overwhelmed with all the choices and decides to return home to his beloved Sorrel. It is here where he discovers his own true self and the glorious gift he has to offer.
This marvelous book is accompanied by a CD, with a special reading of the story by Julie Andrews Edwards --- so be sure not to overlook it!
 THE WOLVES IN THE WALLS
Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Dave McKean
HarperCollins
ISBN: 038097827X
Ages 4-8
56 pages
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• Author Talk
Lucy is sure there are wolves living in the walls of her house. And as everybody says, if the wolves come out of the walls, it's all over. Naturally, her family doesn't believe her. Then one day, the wolves come out --- but it's not all over. Instead, Lucy's battle with the wolves is only just beginning.
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