Ages 4-8




TIPPY-TIPPY-TIPPY, HIDE! by Candace Fleming and G. Brian Karas. Atheneum, $16.99 (ages 4-8). The three wily little bunnies from MUNCHA! MUNCHA! MUNCHA! are back, and knocking on Mr. McGreely’s door once more. It’s cold outside, and they want to come in. But Mr. McGreely remembers how they ate all his carrots last summer, so he’s not too happy with the little flop eared critters. Will they outwit Mr. McGreely? Will they win him over?






BIG BUG SURPRISE by Julia Gran. Scholastic Press, $12.99 (ages 4-8). Whether you’re creeped out by creepy crawlers or a bonafide bug lover, Prunella’s infectious bug love and the fun bug facts are “bee-yond irresistible.” I love the colorful, cartoony illustrations throughout the book, but I think my favorite is when the teacher is swarmed with bees…






DIMITY DUMPTY: THE STORY OF HUMPTY’S LITTLE SISTER by Bob Graham. Candlewick, $15.99 (ages 4-8). As the author and illustrator sums it up, “It seemed to me that Humpty Dumpty had gained notoriety over the years for not doing much at all, basically just falling off a wall, which was not very clever.” Humpty’s shy and timid little sister, Dimity, comes to the rescue. The Easter Egg-colored illustrations are adorable – and right in time for the season!






THE SHIVERS IN THE FRIDGE by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Dutton, $16.99 (ages 4-8). Join the Shivers Family – Papa, Mama, Grandma and Sonny – as they fight to survive earthquakes, bone-chilling cold and huuuuuge hands that suddenly appear to snatch up parts of their landscape and neighbors (Mr. Ketchup, the oddly sticky Green Lake, Orange Hills and Egg Valley).








Ages 8-12




THE SECRET ORDER OF THE GUMM STREET GIRLS, story and pictures by Elise Primavera. HarperCollins, $16.99 (ages 8-12). Franny longs for adventure but can't even do a cartwheel. Pru can do a cartwheel but prefers hiding under her quilt, making up safety tips. Cat has no use for safety tips but supposedly has ESP. And Ivy has had a seven-year string of bad luck—a jinx that's about to get a whole lot worse. They have nothing in common except for the name of their street. The four are thrown together when a pair of mysterious ruby-red slippers turns up, along with a strange woman who bears a frightening resemblance to a certain wicked witch. Very cute adventure with clever characters and plotting. Fans of THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES will enjoy.






A DOG CALLED GRK by Joshua Doder. Delacorte, $14.99 (ages 9-12). Linda’s guest reviewer Adrian (age 10) tells us, “When a kid named Timothy, who is a helicopter simulation computer game expert, finds a little dog on his way home from school, he falls in love. His parents won’t let him keep him, so he tries to get the dog, Grk, back to its owners. The only problem is, the dog had lived in Stanislavania. Meanwhile, Grk’s two young owners had moved to America and then were arrested for something they didn’t do. Tim decides to break them out of jail. To do this, he will have to pilot a helicopter and break into a prison; then they will have to run for the border. This book has some sad parts, but overall it’s a really good book that will keep kids turning pages. I liked this book because it involves a boy stealing a helicopter, and then crash-landing it into a maximum-security prison and helping two innocent children escape from the clutches of evil people…with the help of a dog. It’s funny, it’s action-packed…a great read for kids.”






BABYMOUSE: ROCKSTAR and BABYMOUSE: HEARTBREAKER by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. Random House, $5.95 apiece (paperback original, signed bookplate)(ages 8-12). Babymouse is back and sassier than ever! In ROCKSTAR, Babymouse dreams of becoming – you got it – a rockstar. Instead, she joins the school band to play the flute, and learns to play the music in her rock-n-roll soul.






In HEARTBREAKER, it’s Babymouse’s first school dance. Will anyone ask our little heartbreaker to go?










CHINESE CINDERELLA AND THE SECRET DRAGON SOCIETY by Adeline Yen Mah. HarperTrophy, $5.99 (paperback) (ages 10 and up). After enduring abuse at the hands of her cruel stepmother, Chinese Cinderella (CC) seeks refuge at a martial arts school and joins a secret dragon society. CC is introduced to the exciting world of espionage, and she and her comrades take on a daring mission to rescue a crew of WWII American airmen.






THE WANDMAKER’S GUIDEBOOK by Ed Masessa, illustrated by Daniel Jankowski. Scholastic Press, $19.99 (ages 8-12). (oversized, extra shipping charge will apply). For apprentice magicians. Includes 24-page guidebook, apprentice wand, feathers, glass crystals, colored sand in a jewel-bedecked case – you provide the imagination!








Ages 12 and up




RIVER SECRETS by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury, $17.95 (ages 12 years and up). Teenager Razo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier. He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission. But during the mission, Razo discovers a dead body, and must embrace his own talents in order to get his fellow soldiers home again -- alive. Great fantasy with historical factor, and a cracking good pace. I love the “hero” Razo – he’s little but has mighty wit(s) and is funny.






THE BLACK TATTOO by Sam Enthoven. Penguin, $19.99 (ages 12 and up). Jack’s best mate, Charlie, has always been effortlessly cool. When Charlie wakes up one day and finds a mysterious, moving black tattoo on his back, it’s a clear sign that he’s even cooler than Jack thought. To top it off, Charlie is suddenly able to fight like a kung-fu master, fly, and control the minds of others. Yes, he’s got super powers. Or does he? This is a rather twisty take on who is the hero and who is not, in a rousing contemporary fantasy adventure. Boys and girls will both enjoy.






PRETTY LITTLE LIARS by Sara Shepard. HarperCollins, $16.99 (ages 14 and up). Gossip thrives amid the Mercedes-Benzes, mega mansions, and perfectly manicured hedges in the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Behind their big Gucci sunglasses, beneath their perfectly pressed Polos, everyone has something to hide, especially high school juniors Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna. With interesting characters, the story touches lightly on drugs, sex, lesbianism, and child/parent conflict. Think “Desperate Housewives” for teens.






THE WATER MIRROR: Dark Reflections Trilogy, Book One by Kai Meyer, translated by Elizabeth D. Crawford. Simon Pulse, $7.99 (paperback) (ages 12 and up). Merle and Serafin are used to the mermaids who live in the canals of Venice, and to the guards who patrol the streets on living stone lions. But terrifying mummy warriors are waiting to strike, and Merle and Serafin must do everything they can to save the city.