Extra Yarn

Extra Yarn 
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Annabelle is about to learn that an ordinary looking box of yarn can go a long way!   When she finds a box of what appears to be ordinary yarn, she knits herself a sweater.   However, there is still extra yarn left over, so she uses it to knit more and more.  Soon she is knitting for everyone and everything, even for houses and trucks and other things that would never wear sweaters!  No matter how much she knits, there is always extra yarn.   When a selfish archduke learns of Annabelle's magic yarn box, he wants it for himself.  Will Annabelle be able to save her magical yarn box from the evil archduke? 

I love to knit, so this picture book was a hit with me!   I loved watching Annabelle clothe the people and objects around her with her knits, turning her ordinary snow-covered town into a warm and colorful place.   This is a sweet, funny story that will be a great choice for both knitters and non-knitters! 

Author's website:  http://www.macbarnett.com/

Jake and Lily

Jake and Lily
by Jerry Spinelli

Twins Jake and Lily share a lot of things, including their secret power to communicate to each other through their thoughts.  The summer they turn eleven, however, everything changes.   They each get their own room and Jake starts hanging out with the neighborhood bully's gang, "The Death Rays".    Jake loves the new changes, but Lily just wants things to go back to the way they used to be.    As Jake and his new friends get into troubling, and often cruel, adventures, Lily struggles to create an identity separate from the one she shared with her twin.   They each want to find a new identity, but will they do it in a way where they can truly be happy with themselves? 

What a great book!  I think a lot of readers will be able to relate to Jake and Lily.  The things that each twin dealt with are struggles faced by many: making new friends, bullies, and finding oneself.    I recommend this book to any reader looking for a good realistic fiction novel.  

Author's Website:  http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm

Balloons Over Broadway

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade
by Melissa Sweet

How did the giant balloons of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade begin?   Balloons Over Broadway tells the story of Tony Sarg, the puppeteer responsible for the creation of giant balloons that first appeared over 80 years ago in the famous Thanksgiving parade.   A  puppeteer famous for his beautiful marionettes, Tony successfully took on the challenge of creating floating puppets for the parade, leading to a tradition that still continues each year.   This beautiful biography includes bright illustrations of Tony's life from the time he was a little boy to his creation of the first balloons for the Macy's parade.   This is a great book to read at any time of year, but especially during Thanksgiving!

Author's website:   http://melissasweet.net/
   

Penny and her Doll

Penny and Her Doll
by Kevin Henkes

Penny is thrilled when she receives a new doll in the mail from her Gram!     Everything about her new doll is perfect except for one small problem:  she can't think of a name for her!    Despite many suggestions from others, Penny is unable to find the perfect name for her beloved doll until suddenly the right name comes to her in a way that is truly meant to be.  

I thought this was a very sweet story!   Readers who liked other Kevin Henkes mouse stories will probably enjoy his newest mouse tale.  The short chapters and bright pictures make this story an excellent first chapter book for newer readers. 

Author's website:  http://www.kevinhenkes.com/

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact

Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact
by A.J. Hartley

There's something strange about Darwen Arkwright's new mirror!  However, everything about Darwen's life has been strange recently after moving from England to his aunt's home in Georgia.   A quiet trip to the mall to buy a school uniform turns into an adventure after he finds himself inside an unusual shop filled with old mirrors.   Darwen is surprised and confused when the owner, Mr. Peregrine, gives him a mirror to take home, but he is even more shocked when he realizes that the mirror is anything but typical.   By day it's an ordinary mirror, but at night it leads into a magical world that is a beautiful escape from Darwen's frustrating daily life.   Darwen's love of this new world is short-lived as he soon realizes that it is also full of dangerous creatures determined to come through the mirror into the human world.   Will Darwen be able to save the worlds on both sides of the mirror before it's too late?

This was an amazing book!     It's full of excitement and adventure but it also deals with everyday issues such as bullies and making friends.  

Book website:  http://darwenarkwright.com/

Author's website:  http://ajhartley.net/

Marty McGuire

Marty McGuire
by Kate Messner
illustrated by Brian Floca

Marty McGuire does not want to be a princess!    The frog loving, adventurous third grader would much rather play in the woods and pretend to study chimpanzees like Jane Goodall, but her teacher surprises everyone when she chooses Marty to play the part of the princess in their class performance of The Frog Prince.    Under the pressure of her teacher and parents, Marty reluctantly agrees to be the princess, but manages to find a way to add her own spark to the class performance!

This is a fun, humorous story that many readers will enjoy!   There are a lot of very funny parts that had me laughing.   Marty is a very likeable character and I think a lot of readers will relate to her and the different problems she deals with in this story.   

Author's website:  http://www.katemessner.com/

Listen to the first chapter of Marty McGuire!  http://www.katemessner.com/downloads/MartyMcGuireCh1.mp3

Zita the Space Girl

Zita the Space Girl 

by Ben Hatke 

When Zita and her best friend Joseph discover a mysterious hole in the ground, they have no idea of the wild adventure that lays ahead for them! Inside the hole is a device with a button, and with the press of that button Zita and Joseph find themselves being swept away to a planet of strange creatures and robots. When Joseph is taken by a group of evil aliens, Zita must find a way to rescue him so they can both escape the planet before it is destroyed by a meteor. Will Zita be able to rescue her friend and get off the planet before it is too late?

This is a good choice for readers who like graphic novels and science fiction. It is full of wild adventures, unusual creatures, and great pictures. The shocking ending will leave many readers anxious for more Zita stories!

Author's Website:   http://zitaspacegirl.com/

Book trailer:  
 

Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant

Max Quick: The Pocket and the Pendant
by Mark Jeffrey

At 1:59 pm the world suddenly stood still.   That is, it stood still for everyone except Max Quick and Casey Cole.   Although they have never met before, Max and Casey are thrown together in a dangerous journey to uncover the answers to the sudden time freeze.   In a quest that involves ancient books, magic, and mysterious people, Max and Casey uncover more clues to the time freeze as well as haunting details of Max's unknown past.   Will they be able to unlock the answers to the time freeze in time to save the world from being taken over by evil villains?  

 I had a hard time putting this book down!  It is full of action, adventure and unexpected twists.   I think readers who enjoyed Red Pyramid and other similar stories will love this book!  I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series. 

Book trailer:

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu
by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Lucy Wu's hopes for a perfect sixth-grade year have just been destroyed!   With her big sister going away to college, Lucy was finally going to have her own bedroom.    Now, with the upcoming visit of her mother's aunt from China, Lucy is going to have to spend months sharing her bedroom with a relative she has never even met!   Things only get worse for Lucy when her parents tell her she may have to give up basketball so she can attend Chinese school on Saturdays.    To add to Lucy's frustrations, school has become a nightmare as popular Sloane Connors begins bullying her in a series of mean pranks.  After dealing with unusual relatives, Saturday school, and cruel bullies at school, will things ever get better for Lucy?

I loved this book!  It's a great realistic fiction story with situations that many readers will be able to relate to. 

Author's Website:  http://wendyshang.com/Home.html

The Midnight Zoo

The Midnight Zoo
by Sonya Hartnett
illustrated by Andrea Offermann

After two brothers, Andrej and Tomas, narrowly escape an attack on their family by German soldiers, they must travel through the country at night as they struggle to hide from their attackers.   As Andrej and Tomas, along with their newborn sister Wilma, journey through war damaged towns, they suddenly find themselves in a destroyed, empty village with an unique attraction: a tiny zoo of ten animals.   Although they are at first frightened by the zoo animals, the boys soon learn that they have a lot in common with these animals as they all share their own stories of freedom and hope. 

The Midnight Zoo is a good choice for readers who enjoy animal stories as well as readers who like books that take place during World War II.   

Author's Website:  http://www.sonyahartnett.com.au/