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MYE |
Storyteller
(age 10+) by Edward Myers growing up ... authorship ... adventure ... fantasy ... folklore Publisher comments: "Once upon a time," begins the narrator of this richly imagined novel. But what follows is no ordinary fantasy full of dragons, elves, and wicked stepmothers. Yes, the tale involves a boy named Jack. But he's not the one who climbed a beanstalk or slew seven giants with one blow. This Jack is a storyteller, a seventeen-year-old farm boy who sets off to seek his fortune in the royal city of Sundar. Jack has many adventures and narrow escapes on his journey. He also meets an assortment of memorable characters, including a talking bird, a one-eyed robber, a mysterious illusionist, and a melancholy princess. Each has a tale to tell, and these accounts, along with Jack's own stories and the framing narrative, are woven into a complex, dazzling tapestry that will capture the readers imagination. Through them, Edward Myers explores the power...for good and for evil...of the stories we all tell. |
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FRE |
The Mother-Daughter Book Club
(age 10+) by Heather Vogel Frederick authorship ... family ... friendship Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month. But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do? sequel: Much Ado About Anne |
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DEE |
Just Another Day in my Insanely Real Life
(age 10+) by Barbara Dee authorship ... growing up ... family Twelve-year-old Cassie has a lot to cope with when her father moves out of the picture. Her mom's constantly working overtime, her teenage sister's going AWOL, and her little brother seriously needs attention. It's up to Cassie to prevent total chaos at home ... or so she thinks. She can't control everything, though. At school Cassie's two best friends are turning nasty, and a cute boy is sending mixed signals. And then there's Mr. Mullaney ... the weirdest, hardest English teacher in the seventh grade ... who hates everything she does. Since Mr. Mullaney isn't even reading her brilliant work, Cassie starts submitting journal entries like A Virtual Tour of My Insanely Messy Desk. But her sassy humor isn't winning her any friends or helping her ailing grades. What's a girl to do when life gets totally insane? |
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KRE |
The Printer's Apprentice
(age 10+) by Stephen Krensky authorship ... historical In 1735 in New York City, a young printer's apprentice learns about the importance of freedom of speech when the printer Peter Zenger is arrested and tried for writing articles criticizing the government. |
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COO |
Life Riddles
(age 10+) by Melrose Cooper family ... authorship Ten-year-old Janelle, a talented writer, uses her skills to help her cope with her family's problems. |
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FLE |
Shadow Spinner
(age 10+) by Susan Fletcher folklore ... adventure ... voyages/journeys ... authorship Every night, Shahrazad begins a story. And every morning, the Sultan lets her live another day, providing the story is interesting enough to capture his attention. After almost one thousand nights, Shahrazad is running out of tales. And that is how Marjan's story begins.... It falls to Marjan to help Shahrazad find new stories, ones the Sultan has never heard before. To do that, the girl is forced to undertake a dangerous and forbidden mission: sneak from the harem and travel the city, pulling tales from strangers and bringing them back to Shahrazad. But as she searches the city, a wonderful thing happens. From a quiet spinner of tales, Marjan suddenly becomes the center of a more surprising story than she ever could have imagined. |
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GAN |
Jack's Black Book
(age 10+) by Jack Gantos growing up ... humor ... enterprise ... authorship According to his new motto - A WRITER'S JOB IS TO TURN HIS WORST EXPERIENCES INTO MONEY - Jack Henry is going to be filty rich even before he gets out of junior high, for his life is filled with the worst experiences imaginable. In the course of the few months covered in this cycle of interlinked stories, Jack is humiliated by a gorgeous syncronized swimmer, gets a tattoo the size of an ant on his big toe, flubs an IQ test and nearly fails wood shop, and has to dig up his dead dog not once but twice. And that's not the half of it. |
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PAR |
Project Mulberry
(age 10+) by Linda Sue Park identity ... enterprise ... bigotry ... authorship Julia Song and her friend Patrick would love to win a blue ribbon, maybe even two, at the state fair. Can they come up with the right plan? Can they see it through? What surprising truths will they discover along the way? We might think we know, but then we wouldn't ask the right questions. |
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NEL |
Ruby Electric
(age 10+) by Theresa Nelson the arts ... family ... humor ... authorship Ruby is a dreamer, bringing a better kind of reality to the silver screen, at least in her mind. When the lights dim and the world she writes takes over, Ruby comes to see her own life's story more clearly. |
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FUN |
Corazon de Tinta
(age 10+) by Cornelia Funke authorship ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure ... action Publisher comments: One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart, and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever. sequel: Inkspell |
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FUN |
Inkheart Series (age 10+) by Cornelia Funke authorship ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure ... action Publisher comments: One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart, and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever. title: Inkheart title: Inkspell title: Inkdeath |
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CRE |
Absolutely Normal Chaos
(age 10+) by Sharon Creech authorship ... family Mary Lou Finney grudgingly begins writing a journal as a summer project for school. Then her cousin Carl Ray comes to stay, and what started out as a dull assignment quickly becomes an amazing record of first love and family intrigue. But what if her teacher actually does read her journal? |