F URS	Breakcrumbs (age 8-11) by Anne Ursu adventure ... fantasy ... folklore Publisher comments: Once upon a time, Hazel and Jack were best friends. But that was before he stopped talking to her and disappeared into a forest with a mysterious woman made of ice. Now it's up to Hazel to go in after him. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen," Breadcrumbs is a story of the struggle to hold on, and the things we leave behind.
F GAI	Odd and the Frost Giants (age 8-11) by Neil Gaiman magic ... adventure ... folklore ... traditions Publisher comments: In this inventive, short, yet perfectly formed novel inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman takes readers on a wild and magical trip to the land of giants and gods and back. In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck: His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy. Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle—three creatures with a strange story to tell. Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he had imagined—a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it.
F LIN	Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (age 8-11) by Grace Lin traditions ... folklore ... fantasy Publisher comments: In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz.
F BAN	The Adventures of King Midas (age 8-11) by Lynne Reid Banks adventure ... humor ... folklore ... magic King Midas' obsession with gold takes some unexpected turns in this fun retelling of the classic Greek myth.
F ASI	The Heavenly Host (age 8-11) by Isaac Asimov traditions ... folklore ... science fiction Newly arrived on Planet Anderson Two just before Christmas, Jonathan is warned about the dangerous native inhabitants but an accidental meeting with one of the natives convinces him that they are friendly and peaceful.
F ALE	The Wizard in the Tree (age 8-11) by Lloyd Alexander fantasy ... magic ... folklore When Mallory notices that there's something funny about an old oak tree, she takes a closer look and breaks a magical spell. Arbican the wizard has been trapped in the oak for thousands of years and his powers are gone. Will he get them back in time to save Mallory's village from greedy Squire Scrupner?
F BAB	Kneeknock Rise (age 8-11) by Natalie Babbitt folklore ... mystery From the moment young Egan arrives in Instep, he senses the spell cast over the villagers by the Megrimum--the mysterious something that lurks on the mist-wreathed peak of Kneeknock Rise. Everyone shudders in horror--delicious horror--whenever the Megrimum's unearthly wail floats down to the village. Before long, Egan is climbing the Rise to find a practical explanation for those wails.
F ENS	Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story) (age 8-11) by Barbara Ensor family ... humor ... folklore Publisher comments: I know, I know. You've heard the story a million times before. Mean stepmother. Lots of sweeping. Fancy ball. You remember. Or do you? Did you remember that Cinderella was such a nice girl, so smart and funny? You probably would've liked her. Did you know that "Cinderella" was just a nickname? And that her handsome prince loved Jell-o and was a wonderful dancer? Readers will delight in following Cinderella through all the usual happenings, presented in a most unusual way. And they’ll finally see what becomes of her after she marries the prince. So maybe you should hear the story one last time. Because it's actually way different than you might have thought.
F KAY	The Ordinary Princess (age 8-11) by M. M. Kaye princesses ... fantasy ... folklore Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, and would rather have adventures than play the harp, embroider tapestries . . . or become a Queen. When her royal parents try to marry her off, Amy runs away and, because she's so ordinary, easily becomes the fourteenth assistant kitchen maid at a neighboring palace. And there . . . much to everyone's surprise . . . she meets a prince just as ordinary (and special) as she is!
F KIP	The Beginning of the Armadillos (age 8-11) by Rudyard Kipling folklore ... animals A tortoise and a hedgehog combine their natural assets and transform themselves into armadillos to escape the hungry attention of a young jaguar.
F LEV	For Biddle's Sake (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine humor ... fantasy ... folklore The young maiden, Parsley, will eat nothing but parsley, which in Snettering-on-Snoakes grows only in the fairy Bombina's garden. All is well, until Bombina is released from the fairy queen's dungeon. Her crime? Failing to get along with humans. And turning them into toads! Meanwhile, twin princes Randolph and Rudolph are causing trouble at Biddle Castle and pinning everything on their younger brother, Tansy. Prince Tansy cares about Biddle. Randolph and Rudolph don't. But one of the twins will be king, unless Prince Tansy accepts help from a green Biddlebum Toad!
F LEV	The Fairy's Return (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine princesses ... humor ... fantasy ... folklore Boy meets princess, and it's love at first sight. Both laugh at the same jokes. Both are named after birds. His name is Robin, hers is Lark. Could there ever have been a more perfect match? But alas! King Harrumphrey won't let Lark marry a baker's son. And Robin is betrothed to someone else. Now toss in Robin's nonsense-talking brothers, Nat and Matt, their versifying father, and Ethelinda, the fairy who wrought havoc in The Fairy's Mistake, and you've got a "nutcrazical" situation!
F LEV	The Princess Test (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine princesses ... humor ... fantasy ... folklore King Humphrey has decided its time for his son, Prince Nicholas, to marry. But he must make sure the bride is a real princess. So he devises a series of princess tests, designed to weed out the phonies and the fakes. Meanwhile, Nicholas has fallen in love with Lorelei, a mere blacksmith's daughter. She's no princess, but he wants to marry her all the same--but how will she ever pass the terrible tests?
F WAL	The Barrel in the Basement (age 8-11) by Barbara Brooks Wallace fantasy ... folklore ... humor This is a story about furkens, descendants of a branch of genus elf, who have lost their elfin powers of being able to vanish and now hide fearfully in human houses. They are sadly often mistaken for mice, although don't smell like mice. They smell like warm apricot jam!
F STE	Tales from Gizzard's Grill (age 8-11) by Jeanne Steig humor ... poetry ... folklore ... short stories Presents three tall tales from the Old West town of Fiasco, where the lady sheriff keeps the peace and friends, old and new, enjoy the treats at Gizzard's Grill.
F MOR	I Believe In Unicorns (age 8-11) by Michael Morpurgo folklore ... authorship ... war Eight-year-old Tomas hates reading. He would much rather be clambering around his beloved mountains. But when his mother forces him to visit the library, he can't help but listen to the enchanting tales the librarian spins as she sits on a lifelike wooden unicorn. When war comes to their village, it is Tomas's newfound love of books that helps save the library's holdings from destruction. Set against a backdrop of encroaching war, I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS is an eloquent reminder of the power of storytelling to alter our lives.
F KUC	The Golden Dreydl (age 8-11) by Ellen Kuchner princesses ... fantasy ... folklore ... traditions Sara finds Chanukah celebrations boring. When her Tante Miriam arrives and gives her a Golden Dreydl, everything changes. The dreydl, an enchanted princess in disguise, takes Sara on a journey to a magical world. When the princess is taken by the Demon King, who possesses the power of the Tree of Life, it is Sara who must use her wit to save the princess and return her to her parents: King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. A delightful holiday tale that weaves together threads of Jewish folklore and tradition with fantasy and humor.
F KIN	A Treasury of Spooky Stories (age 8-11) by Kin folklore ... short stories ... spooky A collection of modern and traditional stories about ghosts and other spooky things, by such authors as Margaret Mahy, Judith Gorog, and Virginia Hamilton.
F CHE	The Enchanted Book (age 8-11) by Ruth Chew knights/castles/dragons ... folklore ... fantasy ... magic Instead of making another copy of the King Arthur book, the magic words whisk Serena and Jay back to the time of castles, knights, dragons, and magic.
F CAT	The Chocolate Touch (age 8-11) by Patrick Skene Catling folklore ... humor John Midas loves chocolate. He loves it so much that he'll eat it any hour of any day. He doesn't care if he ruins his appetite. He thinks chocolate is better than any other food! But one day, after wandering into a candy store and buying a piece of their best chocolate, John finds out that there might just be such a thing as too much chocolate....
F CHO	A Very Special Kwanzaa (age 8-11) by Debbi Chocolate traditions ... school ... folklore Charlie, an African-American fourth-grader, is embarrassed when his class is asked to organize a school-wide Kwanzaa celebration, but as everyone prepares for the festivities, Charlie comes to understand what the holiday is all about.
F BAK	The Tales of the Frog Princess (age 8-11) by E. D. Baker princesses ... humor ... folklore ... magic ... fantasy ... action After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again. title: The Frog Princess title: Dragon's Breath title: No Place for Magic title: Once Upon a Curse title: The Salamander Spell: A Prequel to the Tales of the Frog Princess title: Dragon Kiss title: The Dragon Princess title: A Prince Among Frogs
F AND	Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes: an All-Star Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale (age 8-11) by Hans Christian Andersen short stories ... folklore Andersen's classic fairy tale retold from different points of view by twenty-three celebrities and depicted by twenty-three illustrators.
F LIN	Ronia, the Robber's Daughter (age 8-11) by Astrid Lindgren family ... adventure ... action ... folklore Ronia, who lives with her father and his band of robbers in a castle in the woods, causes trouble when she befriends the son of a rival robber chieftain.
F KIP	How the Camel Got His Hump (age 8-11) by Rudyard Kipling animals ... folklore Once upon a time, when the world was new-and-all, Man turned to the animals for help--to the horse for carrying, the dog for fetching, the ox for plowing. But the camel refused to do a lick of work, haughtily replying Humpf! to all requests. The other animals complained of the inequity to the Djinn of all the Deserts, who used his powerful magic to punish the lazy camel.
F NIX	The Gift (age 8-11) by Joan Lowery Nixon family ... folklore ... authorship Brian, visiting his Irish relatives for the first time, tries to prove to his skeptical great-aunt that his great-grandfather's tales of Irish lore and leprechauns are true.
F KIP	The Elephant's Child (age 8-11) by Rudyard Kipling animals ... folklore Because of his "satiable curtiosity" about what the crocodile has for dinner, the elephant's child and all elephants thereafter have long trunks. One of Kipling's "Just So Stories".
F KAS	My First Nowruz (age 8-11) by Riahi Kashani family ... identity ... folklore ... letters/journal My First Nowruz chronicles an 8-year-old girl's first celebration of the Persian New Year. These joyous traditions might be unfamiliar to many of us.
F GRA	The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool (age 8-11) by Margaret Gray princesses ... growing up ... magic ... humor ... folklore Can a seafaring fairy godmother, a wise fool, and an enchanted hairstyle keep Princess Rose out of trouble? "A very long time ago, when all the countries you've ever heard of were in different places on the map, a princess was born who was not beautiful. She wasn't even remotely pretty, and the whole kingdom was in deep shock about it." Princess Rose doesn't get any prettier as she grows up, but the kingdom does get over its shock. Everyone adores the skinny, buck-toothed princess, and she doesn't mind her appearance-until the handsomest prince in the world comes looking for a bride. Despite warnings from her seafaring fairy godmother and a wise fool named Jasper, reckless Rose wishes for beauty. She gets her wish, and the prince, but finds neither is as nice as she had expected.
F HAS	Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (age 8-11) by Selina Hastings magic ... knights/castles/dragons ... folklore Retells the story of Gawain's quest for the Green Chapel and his puzzling encounters with Sir Bercilak and his lady.
F KIN	The Water Horse (age 8-11) by Dick King-Smith animals ... folklore ... fantasy In 1930, on the coast of Scotland, eight-year-old Kirstie finds a large egg which hatches into an unusual sea creature, and as he grows her family must decide what to do with him.
F KIP	The Jungle Book: the Mowgli Stories (age 8-11) by Rudyard Kipling folklore ... animals ... short stories Selected stories from Kipling's two "Jungle Books" chronicle the adventures of Mowgli, the boy reared by a pack of wolves in an Indian jungle. Also includes "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi."
F FLE	The Whipping Boy (age 8-11) by Sid Fleischman folklore ... humor ... adventure ... growing up A Prince and a Pauper. Jemmy, once a poor boy living on the streets, now lives in a castle. As the whipping boy, he bears the punishment when Prince Brat misbehaves, for it is forbidden to spank, thrash, or whack the heir to the throne. The two boys have nothing in common and even less reason to like one another. But when they find themselves taken hostage after running away, they are left with no choice but to trust each other.
F LEV	The Fairy's Mistake (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine fantasy ... humor ... folklore In this humorous retelling of a Perrault tale, the fairy Ethelinda rewards one twin sister for good behavior and punishes the other for bad, only to discover that her punishment is more pleasing than her reward.
F LEV	Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine princesses ... fantasy ... humor ... folklore A spiteful fairy. A beautiful princess. An outstretched finger. A spindle. A hundred-year snooze. A charming prince. A kiss. All the familiar ingredients. But wait! Where did that extra prince come from? And those fairy gifts that were never there before? And what does a flock of balding sheep have to do with anything? Gail Carson Levine has waved her magic wand over the old standby of "Sleeping Beauty" and presto! It reappears, transformed, sparkling and hilarious.
F LEV	Cinderellis and the Glass Hill (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine princesses ... fantasy ... humor ... folklore In this humorous retelling of a Perrault tale, a lonely young farm lad uses his unusual inventive ability to pass a nearly impossible test and win the hand of the neighboring princess.
F LEV	Fairest (age 8-11) by Gail Carson Levine folklore ... humor The fairy Lucinda has once again given a dreadful gift. This time it's a mysterious magical mirror. The gift is disastrous when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in a mirror if she can help it. In the Kingdom of Ayortha, Aza is most definitely not the fairest of them all. Many spurn her. Many scoff at her. She keeps out of sight. But in a land of singers, Aza has her own gift, one she's come by without fairy intervention: a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates all who hear it. In Ontio Castle, merry Prince Ijori is drawn to it, and vain Queen Ivi wants to use it for her own ends. Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land.
F YOL	The Young Merlin Trilogy (age 8-11) by Jane Yolen magic ... growing up ... fantasy ... folklore A boy is abandoned in the woods of medieval England. A year passes--a year of terror and hunger, of sleeping in trees and foraging for food, of outrunning packs of wild dogs--until one day a falconer captures and tames the boy as he would any passager, a young bird caught in the wild and trained. The falconer adopts the boy and teaches him all of the things he's forgotten, including the boy's true name--and the legacy of magic that will be his when he comes of age. title: Passager: the Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One title: Hobby: the Young Merlin Trilogy title: Merlin: the Young Merlin Trilogy, Book Three
F COV	Thor's Wedding Day (age 8-11) by Bruce Coville folklore ... humor What could possibly make Thor--the massive and mighty god of thunder and protector of all his people--put on a bridal gown? It all begins when the source of Thor's power, his beloved hammer, is stolen. Unfortunately for Thor, the plan to get it back requires that he dress in fancy finery and be packed off to marry the king of the giants. Luckily, Thialfi the goat boy--along with his snarky charges, Grinder and Gat-Tooth--have come along. Working behind the scenes, Thialfi just may be able to save the day . . . which is only fair, since it's his fault the hammer was stolen in the first place.
F COL	The Adventures of Pinocchio (age 8-11) by Carlo Collodi identity ... adventure ... folklore Catalog: Pinocchio, a wooden puppet full of tricks and mischief, with a talent for getting into and out of trouble, wants more than anything else to become a real boy.
F COE	Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (age 8-11) by Eleanor Coerr war ... folklore ... historical ... illness/loss Publisher comments: When Hiroshima-born Sadako falls gravely ill with leukemia, she recalls a Japanese legend that holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again.
F COA	The Cat Who Went to Heaven (age 8-11) by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth animals ... folklore ... the arts Catalog: A little cat comes to the home of a poor Japanese artist and, by humility and devotion, helps to bring about a miracle.
F WES	Christmas Spirit: Two Stories (age 8-11) by Robert Westall traditions ... short stories ... folklore Two stories in one: The Christmas Ghost and The Christmas Cat.
F RYL	Children of Christmas: Stories for the Season (age 8-11) by Cynthia Rylant traditions ... folklore ... short stories The Christmas tree man -- Halfway home -- For being good -- Ballerinas and bears -- Silver packages -- All the stars in the sky.
F NOR	Are All the Giants Dead? (age 8-11) by Mary Norton princesses ... folklore ... fantasy Finding himself in a land peopled with fairy tale characters, James attempts to help Princess Dulcibel who is destined to marry a toad after her ball falls into the well.
F HUG	Tales of the Early World (age 8-11) by Ted Hughes folklore ... poetry ... short stories In this collection of tales from the Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, God appears as an artist who is sometimes surprised by his creatures. He puts an awful lot of care into fashioning the birds, whereas he simply pulls Newt out of the ground.
F ROC	Strudel Stories (age 8-11) by Joanne Rocklin traditions ... folklore ... short stories ... historical ... family Imagine a cozy kitchen in another time and place. A family is baking apple strudel together. And while they work, they tell each other stories of the past. There are the boy who danced with ghosts, the apple that turned to gold, the greatest baseball moment ever, and the almost-a-disaster day. This warm and touching novel follows a Jewish family through seven generations as they brave war, immigration, and enjoy the simple pleasures of friendship, sports, and a life together.
F OSB	Tales From the Odyssey (age 8-11) by Mary Pope Osborne adventure ... voyages/journeys ... folklore Publisher comments: When Odysseus must leave his home to fight the Trojan War, he never imagines that he'll be away from his family for so many years. Now, at long last, he is leading his men home across the seas. But many dangers await them ... and none is more terrifying than Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant. title: The One-Eyed Giant title: The Land of the Dead title: Sirens and Sea Monsters title: The Gray-Eyed Goddess title: Return to Ithaca title: The Final Battle

Sat Aug 25 11:55:25 2012 Other themes and genres