Gadoo The Cat: An Armenian Folktale

The cat which is a cat, no matter how smart, sophisticated or human like is, will always run after a mouse once she/he sees it. Gadoo: The Cat is an Armenian folktale that is fun, smart and clever in the way it evolves. The folktale starts off with the King bragging about his cat and how wonderful the cat is in her human like attitude and behaviour. However, when the time comes for him to show off this great cat, things take on a whole new direction. You must read it to find out what happens to this cat who everyone thought was a miracle.

The story is by Susan Kadian Gopigian and the illustrations are by Susan Collier Bolt.

For grades 2-4.

CAN FEAR BE FUNNY?

AGAINST THE ODDS by Marjolijn Hof is just that - odd. Kiki's father goes off to help people in a war-torn country, because that's what adventurous doctors do. But Kiki is stuck at home with her worried mother (she's worried too, not that she can admit it) and their stinky old dog. What happens if her father dies? Is there some law in the universe that if something dies, something else will stay alive longer? These, and other moral issues, are confronted with a dark quirky humor that will intrigue many a reader. For grades 5 and up.

ELLA KAZOO WILL NOT BRUSH HER HAIR

Ella refuses to brush her hair until it becomes son unruly that it takes over everything.No matter how hard her moms tries, she refuses to brush her hair or to have it brushed for her. Her hair keeps growing and it gets more and more tangled. When it finally gets too much for her she offers herself a solution – a haircut.

Funny rhyming story of a girl whose hair gets totally out of control. May be a good choice for a kid who's afraid to get a haircut.Colorful and watercolor illustrations. For readers Ages 3-6. Written by Lee Fox illustrated by Jennifer Plecas.

JUST GRACE

If you like books that are written in a diary format then JUST GRACE AND THE SNACK ATTACK by CHARISE MERICLE HARPER will be one of the funniest books that ever read. It has pretty much everything in it. The story is about Grace, a very precocious girl who wants to make all kinds of things out of nothing and yet who gathers everything in her house to make something that doesn't resemble anything at all. In addition, there is also a lot of school drama that will make you eager to finish the book in one seating.

For grades 2nd-4th.

ONE SUMMER AT THE MOVIES

It's summer and Dani is stuck in her small town with no best friend, she moved, no father, her parents are divorcing, the only thing left to keep her busy is the local movie theater. Fortunately the Little Art, the only movie theater in town, shows her favorite old black and white detective movies and the ticket takers are often busy elsewhere, so it is easy to sneak in. The movies and the free popcorn with toppings of your choice keep her busy until she stumbles across a secret involving a girl with polka-dot tights, her old babysitter, the cute projectionist at the Little Art and a lie. An enormous imagination fueled by watching too many detective movies sends Dani off on a journey of discovery whose result is not what she expected.

Check out the author's website: http://daninoir.com/

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Griffin comes from a big family. But suddenly, things around his family really change. He is forced to go to public school, rather than be home schooled by his mother. In fact, his mother hasn't even been home - not since she went to the hospital to have another baby. Griffin can't wait to name the new baby, even though he knows it will make his family sad. Read THE NAMING OF TISHKIN SILK by Glenda Millard to find out why, especially if you are a 3rd, 4th or 5th grader. Also good for older readers that need a quick read.

SPRING IS HERE!

Spring is here, and to get in the mood of it, grab this tiny colorful book called MOUSE'S FIRST SPRING by LAUREN THOMPSON with illustrations by BUKET ERDOGAN.
The book will make you feel and see all the colorful creatures, sounds and sense the smells of one of the happiest seasons.
Words such as squiggly squeeze, fluttery buttery and hidey insidey will give your tongue its daily exercise while your mood will be elevated with a guarantee:) You will want to go outside, breath the fresh air and start looking for the things that are fresher, prettier and colorful.

Ideally this is for k-preschool, however it can be enjoyed by everyone.

ANIMALS THAT TALK, PART 2

We met the kind and gentle Penhaligon Brush two years ago, when he just learned he was part wolf-part fox, and spent most of the story saving his loved ones from the dungeon of Ferball Manor. Now in its sequel, THE CURSE OF THE ROMANY WOLVES, S. Jones Rogan has Penhaligon on yet another adventure - that of finding a cure for "febra lupi (wolf fever)" that is infecting all the young ones in the village. But not only does the cure surface, but some other fascinating pieces of Penhaligon's past emerge. For 3rd grade and up.

GHOST WRITING GHOST

Seymour's parents have left him alone in a big old haunted Victorian house for the summer... and he likes it that way. Just him, his cat and his best friend, Olive, a 190 year old ghost living in the cupola. But people keep always want to rent the place or buy it, so he and Olive find ways to get rid of them. But when a writer moves in for the summer to try to write his thirteenth ghost story, Olive decides that she likes having grumpy Ignatius around and decides to help him write the book.

Kate Klise's new series, as with her other stories, unfold through a series of letters and newspapers articles. Dying to Meet You is for those who enjoy a light ghost story with lots of puns and a touch of friendship. For 4th-6th grade.

TOFU QUILT

The story of TOFU QUILT by CHING YEUNG RUSSELL is written in a free verse format that is quick, fun and easy to read. It's about a little girl who is told that there are a lot of things in life that she can not do because of the simple fact that she is a girl. However, this little girl knows that she has a special talent and that in her life, no matter what happens she can do great things. Her talent lies in her own hands and mind, she can write wonderful and inventive stories and letters. She starts writing letters for her illiterate aunts until she is told that at least she will not be hungry in life, since she can write. However, she is lucky in a sense that her mother thinks very highly of her and supports her in sending her to a private school where she gets exposed to great books and literature. This is a semi-autobiographical story by the author Ching Yeung Russell that is inspiring, empowering and uplifting, especially for girls.

For grades 4th and older.

SLEEP TO DREAM

Newbery Medalist Sid Fleischman has written a haunting tale called THE DREAM STEALER about a sneaky bandit coming to steal your dreams while you are trying to sleep. One night, Susanna is dreaming a happy dream about her long lost friend, only to have it rudely snatched away from her before she can find the friend! But Susana is not going to put up with that! You'll have to read the book to find out how she gets her dream back. For grades 3-6.

I NEVER AGREED TO BE A ZOMBIE!

David Lubar has a new series about how Nathan, a not so popular kid, accidentally becomes a zombie.

A ZOMBIE?! WAIT! WHAT?! How?

Well, that's why it's call an accident.

THIS KID SOUNDS LAME!

Uh, that's not a very nice thing to say. This is exactly why he tried the Hurt-Be-Gone forumula. So that people like YOU can't hurt his feelings anymore.

ARE YOU TRYING TO BLAME ME FOR HIM TURNING INTO A ZOMBIE?

Of course not. But other kids in the book, were teasing him, and bullying him and calling him names and making him feel bad so he decided to try this experimental formula his classmate's crazy scientist uncle created.

Special formula? So did it work?

I'm not gonna tell you. You'll have to read the book to find out if the formula worked or not. It's funny. You'll like it.

Fans of the Weenies books will really enjoy My Rotten Life, a funny and not so scary new series. For readers in 4th -6th grades.

BRAIDS*TRENCITAS

Abuela and Isabela, tell each other stories while Abuela braids and unbraids Isabela's hair every day. Each time Isabela asks Abuela to read a story she has written, the woman finds excuses and says that she is “ a storyteller, not a reader”. When Isabela discovers that Abuela can’t read, she finds a wonderful way to teach her grandmother how to read using the “loteria” ( a bingo-like game from Mexico). This heartwarming book talks about the importance of family and cultural traditions across generations. Colorful acrylic illustrations. Written by Kathleen Contreras, illustrated by Margaret Lindmark. Grades 2-3.

JANE IN BLOOM

JANE IN BLOOM by DEBORAH LYTTON starts off like a happy, Sunday afternoon brunch. However, things are never what they seem. She is a girl of great curiosity and wonder, who is in love with her family, especially her very popular sister, who is the light of everyone’s eye…
On Jane's birthday, she can't wait to get her ears pierced since she is literally the last girl in her classroom that does not have them. However, her parents change their minds and Jane ends up not getting what she wanted. Things do turn into much worse, when she unexpectedly loses her sister. The entire family is devastated and there seems to be to light at the end of the tunnel. However, with her love of photography, Jane slowly begins to see beauty and colors through the lenses, which later become a respite from her dull days.
This is really a heartwarming story, even though the subject matter is not light, the author has been able to make is so beautiful and lovely.

For grades 5th and older

A WALK WITH GRANDPA/UN PASEO CON ABUELO

One sunny day, Daniela and her grandpa hand in hand, went for a peaceful walk in the woods. They discover and share the beauty of nature, as they do so, they express just how much they love each other by a silly word game they play together. This is a picture book poem that celebrates the relationship between a grandfather and his granddaughter.

Bilingual full text both in English and Spanish. For readers, grades 2-3, ages 7-8. Written by Sharon K. Solomon, illustrated by Pamela Barcita.

WHO ARE POPEYE AND ELVIS?

Well, this here is a book that reminds you of lazy hot days in summer, waiting for something exciting to happen. When you're a kid like Popeye, "exciting" doesn't happen that often. Fayette, South Carolina is a slow kind of place, where Popeye lives with his grandma Velma and good-for-nothin' Uncle Dooley. It's Dooley's fault he's called Popeye, since he was the one that shot him in the eye in the first place. But now it's time for a new adventure involving a clan of ragamuffin kids, boats made of Yoo-Hoo boxes, and dead dogs. THE SMALL ADVENTURE OF POPEYE AND ELVIS by Barbara O'Connor is a slow, southern style of book that will hang around in your head for a while after you read it. For grades 3 and up.

BEAUTIFUL MOON/BELLA LUNA

This picture book by Dawn Jeffers is about a little girl who wants the day to last forever so that she may play and play. When the moon grants her wish for a day that never ends and she plays until exhausted, then she wishes for night to come so she can rest. This poem answers a child's persistent questions about why we have to sleep at night. It helps kids to understand why we have night and why they need to go to sleep!

Beautiful illustrations and simple vocabulary. Bilingual full text in English and Spanish. For readers grades 2-3, ages 7-8.

MEET THE DWEEBS...

Meet the DWEEB’s, Denton-the negotiator, Wendell-the computer whiz, Eddie- the athlete, Elijah-the writer and Bijay-the performer. And now, imagine these misfits all together, trying to figure the mysterious happenings at their Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High. In this laughing out loud book, you will recognize a lot of the drama and the happenings that are taking place in your own schools. The combination of these boys with their specialized areas of expertise makes them a unique team that is a guarantee for a cool, fun read.

Of course, do to the nature of their personalities and traits, everytime something bad happens, they are the once who get the automatic punishments. Now how are they going to solve certain mysterious at their school and also proof their innocence is something that you need to find out yourself:)

DWEEB: BURGERS, BEASTS, AND BRAINWASHED BULLIES by AARON STARMER.

For grades 5th and older.

BLOODY BATTLES OF SCOTLAND

Alex is off to Scotland to visit his Aunt Fiona, and hopefully find his parents who disappeared while on vacation there. As it turns out, his aunt is sick and he is sent to live with the neighbors McRae, who have three kids his own age. All is going well until Alex decides to explore the Castle Duncragglin caves that he heard about from a strange professor sitting next to him on the flight over. Suddenly, Alex and the McRae kids find themselves dodging soldiers and fighting alongside the famous Sir William Wallace, who freed Scotland from a mean English king. As Alex and his friends try to get back to modern times, the experience many exciting adventures along the way. THE BATTLE OF DUNCRAGGLIN by Andrew H. Vanderwal starts a little slow, but will please any avid historical fiction reader. For grades 5-8.

FAMILY SECRETS

WATCHING JIMMY by Nancy Hartry is about a young girl named Carolyn who's best friend Jimmy has been involved in a horrible accident that makes him brain damaged. Only Carolyn knows the truth to how Jimmy got that way, and she's not sure how to tell people. As the weight of this knowledge continues to press down on her, Carolyn learns what it means to "find her voice" when she is asked to audition for a local choir group AND perform an important speech on Canada's Remembrance Day. This is an easy-to-read story set in the late 1950's and does a great job of portraying that era from a non-stereotypical perspective. For grades 4 and up.