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Passion and Poison: Tales of Shape-Shifters, Ghosts, and Spirited Women
by Janice M. Del Negro
Published 2007 by Marshall Cavendish Children's Books
Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780761453611
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Jacket Notes:
Janice M. Del Negro's unique storyteller's voice enlivens this collection of eight original tales about strong, resolute females. Whether she's spinning a story about a brave housekeeper who does not suffer fools gladly or a woman who uses her wits to avenge her sister's death, she embroiders her tales with elegant language and vivid imagery. There are characters and settings that will chill the bones, from the skulls in a moonlit mausoleum to the apparition of a wealthy woman "in a cyclone of light and fog" to three cauldrons filled with hair, bones, and blood. Mysterious shape-shifters and ghostly figures appear, but the women here handle them with grace and conviction. Acting to achieve justice and fairness, these characters become heroines in the landscape of the imagination. An author's note is included.
12/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal
Gr 3 Up-This collection of eight Gothic tales features strong and resourceful women and girls who take their fates in their own hands and mold their destinies through wit, courage, and intelligence. From the proud housekeeper in "Skulls and Bones, Ghosts, and Gold" to the dedicated sister in "Rubies," these protagonists will stop at nothing to right wrongs and serve justice. With the exception of the final tale, the stories are set in the past, enhancing the mysterious, moody, otherworldly tone that weaves from one selection to the next. Ghosts and spirits play major roles in these tales that are perfect for reading aloud on late, moonless nights. Del Negro's strong storyteller's voice is perfectly pitched; her conversational tone initially sets readers at ease and then delightfully startles them with perfect, sometimes shocking, conclusions. Readers will applaud for Rosie, who outlives her cruel father, and little Jane, who finds sanctuary and fantastical friendship in an enchanted garden. A comprehensive author's note provides information about the traditional tales or folkloric motifs that appear in the selections. Natale's full-page pencil illustrations add to the eerie mood. Gather all grannies, aunts, mothers, sisters, and daughters-and assemble the menfolk, too. This collection is sure to thrill all readers and listeners who appreciate spirited stories.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI
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Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs: 12 New Dinosaur Discoveries
by Dougal Dixon
Published 2007 by Boyds Mills Press
Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781590784709
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Jacket Notes:
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Paint the Wind
by Pam Munoz Ryan
Published 2007 by Scholastic Press
Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780439873628
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Jacket Notes:
In Grandmothers house in California, Mayas every word and action are strictly monitored, and even Mayas memories of her mother have been erased. In the rugged Wyoming wilderness, a Tobiano Paint horse called Artemisia runs free. She embodies the spirit of the wild--and she holds the key to Mayas memories, in this epic new novel.
REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 08/20/2007
An overprotected orphan, an imperious guardian who dies suddenly, a tender reunion with long-lost rustic relatives-Ryan (Esperanza Rising ) opens her tween crowd-pleaser with tried-and-true material, and follows with even more of a sure thing, a horse story. The author gets the romance just right, from 11-year-old heroine Maya's aching desire to learn about her long-dead mother and fit into her mother's family, to Maya's instant connection with the horses raised and trained by her great-aunt Vi. Details surrounding the care and riding of horses are both authentic and copious. Accordingly, readers aren't likely to mind either the clichéd characters or gaps in plausibility. Nor will they blink as Ryan interweaves the narrative with segments told from the perspective of a wild mare named Artemisia (after, says Vi, the 17th-century painter Artemisia Gentileschi): "She draped her neck over his withers, reassuring herself that [her colt] wasn't going anywhere with a band of bachelor stallions." When Maya learns that Artemisia was once her mother's horse, a pairing seems inevitable; Ryan exploits it for maximum effect as the centerpiece of an attenuated survival sequence that involves an earthquake, broken bones, near-starvation, bareback riding and, of course, a bond between wild horse and child. The overstuffed quality of the plot may seem like a good thing to the target audience-adventure plus horses trumps realism anytime. Ages 9-12.(Sept.)
11/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-Maya, an orphan, copes with her strict grandmother's harsh rules by lying and sabotaging a revolving stream of housekeepers. Upon her grandmother's sudden death, the 11-year-old is sent to Wyoming to live with her mother's family, strangers whom she has been told are wild and worthless. Maya soon discovers that she was badly misled and that her relatives are warm and loving, teaching her not only about their remuda horses but also about the wild mustangs of the surrounding hills and plains. One mare in particular attracts her attention, for it was the horse tamed and loved by her mother before it was returned to the wild. When disaster strikes, the bond between the girl and the horse is tested, and at this point the book morphs into a survival story. Against enormous odds, Maya makes it to safety with the help of Artemisia, and through these experiences her connection to her family and to the natural world are secured. Both the descriptions of the mustangs' life and of Maya's growth from an angry self-centered liar into a kind and honest girl capable of making difficult decisions are handled with skill and realism. Admirers of Ginger Kathrens's Cloud: Wild Stallion of the Rockies (BowTie, 2001) and others of its ilk will love this exciting horse tale.-Ann Robinson, formerly at Moultonborough Academy Library, NH
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The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Published 2007 by Hyperion
Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780786849000
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Jacket Notes:
Fully illustrated with photos, drawings, newspaper clippings, and comics sequences, this original debut novel by a noted illustrator is a hilarious, perceptive, and genre-bending story about a 12-year-old girl who writes an essay six months after an alien race has taken over Earth.
REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 10/01/2007
Who knew the end of the world could be so hilarious? With a misfit cast of characters led by a precocious 11-year-old narrator named Gratuity "Tip" Tucci and a bumbling alien named J.Lo who has an appetite for dental floss and air fresheners, Rex's high-octane fantasy could fairly be called an apocalyptic comedy. After the Boov (technologically advanced aliens) conquer Earth (or Smekland, as they call it, after its discoverer), they decide that humans must live on preserves; all Americans must move to Florida. Tip, driving her mother's car with her cat Pig for a passenger, meets the unexpectedly helpful Boov J.Lo, who, she later discovers, has bungled a mission and is on the lam. Parallels between the Boov and European settlers and their treatment of Native Americans deepen the impact of the story, but the author goes well beyond delivering a single political message. Incorporating dozens of his weird and wonderful illustrations and fruitfully manipulating the narrative structure, Rex skewers any number of subjects, from Disney World to various fleeting fads. Some of the best jokes come from throwaways and from J.Lo's and Tip's attempts to understand each other (when Tip asks if his society has boys and girls, he says, "Of course. Do not to be ridicumulous," and calmly lists the "seven magnificent genders" of the Boov). Picture book aficionados will already know Rex from Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Pssst! (reviewed Sept. 10); now another audience can savor his wit. Ages 8-up. (Oct.)
11/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-Where does one begin when asked to write a five-page essay on the meaning of Smekday? If you are 11-year-old Gratuity Tucci, you begin prior to the arrival of the aliens, before your mother started receiving cryptic messages through a mole in the back of her neck, and before all Americans are forced to move to reservations in Florida to make room for the influx of an alien race known as the Boov. In a rebellious snit, Tip decides to drive her mother's car to Florida, rather than take the Boov rocketpods, and finds herself caught up in a most outlandish road trip with her cat, Pig, and her very own renegade Boov, J.Lo, for company. First-time novelist Rex has written an imaginative, wacky, hilarious sci-fi story that will appeal to fans of Eoin Colfer and Jon Scieszka. Lively cartoon-paneled illustrations are interspersed throughout and add to the fun. This is a fast-paced adventure with a whip-smart protagonist, a lovable and resourceful extraterrestrial, and plenty of social commentary.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK
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