LINDA'S LIST FOR KIDS OF ALL AGES


Books are not signed unless otherwise noted.


CLICK: One Novel, Ten Authors. Scholastic, $16.99. Young adult. Ten authors each contributed one chapter to this story of George "Gee" Keane, photographer, soldier, adventurer and enigma. Contributors include Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Gregory Maguire, and Tim Wynne-Jones.






CHEWY, GOOEY, RUMBLE, PLOP!: A Deliciously Disgusting Pop-Up Guide to the Digestive System, by Steve Alton with illustrations by Nick Sharratt. Dial, $17.99. All ages. Science is fun in this cool pop-up guide to human digestion. Oversized volume; extra shipping charges will apply.






HOW TO FIND FLOWER FAIRIES by Cicely Mary Barker. Penguin, $19.99. All ages. A spectacular pop-up sequel to FAIRYOPOLIS, with flowers and trees that open to reveal the fairies' secret homes. Oversized volume; extra shipping charges will apply.






GHOST SHIP, by Mary Higgins Clark with illustrations by Wendell Minor. Paula Wiseman Books, $17.99 (signed first edition). Ages 4-8. Mary Higgins Clark's first book for children is the story of a boy who finds a belt buckle on a Cape Cod beach, and is drawn into the story of another boy who sailed the sea, hundreds of years before.






FULL HOUSE: 10 Stories about Poker, edited by Pete Hautman. Putnam, $17.99 (first edition signed by contributors Bill Fitzhugh and Gary Phillips). Ages 12 and up. Players gamble for everything from respect from a stepfather to their very soul, and discover the joys and dangers of winning and losing. Other contributors include Francine Pascal, K. L. Going, and Mary Logue.






DINOSAUR DIG IT! by Jonathan Kronstadt. Scholastic, $9.99. Ages 7 and up. It's more than a book, it's a kit: a book about fossil hunting, a digging block with a plastic fossil model, some digging tools, and 20 collectible dinosaur cards.






THE MISADVENTURES OF BENJAMIN BARTHOLOMEW PIFF: YOU WISH, by Jason Lethcoe. Grosset & Dunlap, $9.99. Ages 9-12. In his third adventure, the orphaned Benjamin gets a magical birthday cake that grants him every wish. It turns out to be a mixed blessing, to say the least. We also have Books 1 and 2!






THE TIME TRAVELER'S JOURNAL by Ed Masessa. Scholastic, $24.99. All ages. The multimedia adventures of Lieserl Einstein, who was born in 1902 but went back in time to erase all evidence of her existence. Oversized volume; extra shipping charges will apply.






UNDERTOWN, Vol. I by Jim Pascoe, illustrated by Jake Myler. Tokyopop, $13.00 (signed first edition trade paperback). Linda's August Mystery of the Month for Kids is the first in a new series of graphic novels for young adults. Sama wants to find a cure for his father, hospitalized after a heart attack; an old man tells him about Undertown, a magical place that hides the Sugar Stone, which has magical healing properties. When Sama arrives in Undertown, however, he finds that the Insects and the Furmen are already at war over the Stone.






JOHNNY AND THE DEAD, by Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins, $15.99 (signed hardcover reprint, first edition thus). Ages 9-12. Johnny Maxwell discovers that he can communicate with the spirits in his town's cemetery, which is about to be bulldozed by developers.






JOHNNY AND THE BOMB, by Terry Pratchett. HarperCollins, $16.99 (signed hardcover reprint, later printing). Ages 9-12. Johnny must save his present-day village from being bombed in the Second World War, but doing so requires some bouncing back and forth through time.





THE WEE FREE MEN, by Terry Pratchett with illustrations by Stephen Player. HarperCollins, $24.99 (signed hardcover, later printing). Nine-year-old Tiffany Aching must save her little brother Wentworth from monsters who have kidnapped him to Fairyland.






WHERE'S MY COW? by Terry Pratchett with illustrations by Melvyn Grant. HarperCollins, $16.95 (signed hardcover, later printing). Ages 4-8. Every night, Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork police force makes it home to read his son this book; it figures prominently in Pratchett's novel (for adults) THUD!






STAR WARS: A POP-UP GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Matthew Reinhart. Orchard Books, $32.95. All ages. This 30th anniversary commemorative edition is an engineering marvel, complete with working light saber. Oversized volume; extra shipping charges will apply.






CLASH OF THE SKY GALLEONS: The Edge Chronicles, #9 by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. David Fickling Books, $12.99. Ages 9-12. The Edge Chronicles are almost over; in this next-to-last book, Quint and his father, Wind Jackal, go after the man who killed their family.






HOW MANY? Spectacular Paper Sculptures, a Pop-Up by Ron Van Der Meer. Robin Corey Books, $24.99. All ages. This unique book is a true work of art, by a pioneer of the pop-up medium. Each spread features a different shape (square, circle, star, triangle, rectangle) that has been engineered to form separate sculptures. How many shapes can you find? Oversized volume; extra shipping charges will apply.






I AM INVITED TO A PARTY! by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $8.99 (signed first edition hardcover). Ages 4-8. Piggie gets an invitation to a party – but what will she wear? How will she behave? Her friend Elephant has some ideas, but they're a little odd. A new series by one of Linda's absolute favorite children's author/illustrators!






KNUFFLE BUNNY: A Cautionary Tale, by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $15.99 (signed hardcover, later printing). Ages 4-8. Trixie loses her bunny – but she can't make her father understand!






KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A Case of Mistaken Identity, by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $16.99 (signed first edition). Ages 4-8. When Trixie's beloved Knuffle Bunny is confiscated at school and mixed up with an apparently identical twin, how will she get back the true Knuffle Bunny? A midnight meeting between desperate fathers is arranged, a swap ensues, a friendship is forged – but not without some excitement first.






THERE IS A BIRD ON YOUR HEAD! by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $8.99 (signed first hardcover edition). Ages 4-8. Piggie lets Elephant know: there's a bird on his head! That's bad enough – but then there are two!






TODAY I WILL FLY by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $8.99 (signed first hardcover edition). Ages 4-8. Piggie, the optimist, plans to fly; Elephant, the pessimist, doesn't think so.






LINDA'S TOP TEN KIDS BOOKS FOR 2007



SEEING REDD by Frank Beddor. Dial, $17.00 (signed first edition hardcover). The further adventures of the real Alice in Wonderland. Alyss is now Queen, and Beddor has given her exciting challenges to overcome. Ages 9-12.








MOLLY MOON, MICKY MINUS & THE MIND MACHINE by Georgia Byng. HarperCollins, $16.99 (signed first edition hardcover). Wacky, intrepid, adventurous Molly Moon can read minds. Big adventures for readers 8-12 years old, with a British bite to the humor.




PROM DATES FROM HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Delacorte, $15.99. A little "Buffy the Slayer"-type action for her very bright teen heroine, some insightful compassion for the "un-cool" kids, and some wicked teen humor are just icing on the cake. Ages 12 and up.






IGRAINE THE BRAVE by Cornelia Funke. Chicken House, $16.99
(signed hardcover, later printing). The author is one of my personal heroines – she writes active, strong, imaginative, creative characters, creating fun role models particularly for young girl readers. This title features a young girl who dreams of becoming a famous knight. For readers 9-12 years old.




BABYMOUSE: SKATER GIRL by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. Random House, $5.99 (paperback originals, signed bookplates). I guess there's a bit of a theme going on here: I seem to have a fondness for spunky girl characters – and Babymouse is one of the best! Graphic novel for ages 7-10.




UNDERTOWN by Jim Pascoe. TokyoPop, $9.95 (signed trade paperback first edition). Best known as a writer and publisher of neo-noir crime novels, Pascoe ventures into new territory with this manga-style graphic novel for kids aged 8 and up.






SKIPPYJON JONES AND THE BIG BONES by Judy Schachner. Dutton, $16.99 (signed first edition hardcover). One of my very favorite author/illustrators. And one of my absolute favorite characters, the Siamese kitty-boy who thinks he is a chihuahua – and destined to fight banditos! Ages 4-8.




KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY by Mo Willems. Hyperion, $16.99 (signed first edition hardcover). Another one of my favorite author/illustrators. Stuffed toy bunny goes missing, identical bunny shows up – what is going on?! Ages 4-8.