These books will be in the SPRING BOOK FAIR, March 19-23
Book List. Was the mysterious blue stone that appears out of nowhere sent by accident or is teenage Eragon meant to have it? When a dragon, Saphira, hatches from it, beast and boy connect (in much the same way dragons and riders do in Anne McCaffrey's popular Pern series) and face danger together. In this story, Eragon is thrust into a new role as the first Dragon Rider in more than 100 years who is not under the evil king's control. After the king's ghastly minions kill Eragon's uncle as they search for the teen, Eragon and Saphira, mentored by the village's aged "storyteller,"hunt for the killers and, in turn, find themselves being hunted. This unusual, powerful tale, begun when Paolini was 15 (he's now 19) and self-published in 2002 before being picked up by Knopf, is the first book in the planned Inheritance trilogy. It's obvious that Paolini knows the genre well--his lush tale is full of recognizable fantasy elements and conventions. But the telling remains constantly fresh and fluid, and he has done a fine job of creating an appealing and convincing relationship between the youth and the dragon. It's an impressive start to a writing career that's sure to flourish.Back to Top
SALLY JEAN, THE BICYCLE QUEEN by Cari Best
Horn Book (Fall 2006) Sally Jean outgrows her bicycle, which she had named Flash, and can't afford a replacement, until some bike repair lessons and a helpful junk-collecting neighbor supply everything she needs to create her new bike: Lightning. The rollicking text includes frequent singsong verses about the love of biking, while the exuberant, roughly scrawled and splashily colored cartoon illustrations extend the free-wheeling feeling.Back to Top
SEA HORSE: THE SHYEST FISH IN THE SEA by Chris Butterworth
In stunning pictures and engaging words, this nonfiction picture book explains the facts behind the unusual life cycle alluded to in Eric Carle's Mister Seahorse 0 (2000). Pairing a central narrative about a male Barbour's sea horse with facts in smaller type, Butterworth first pinpoints the creatures' most immediately appealing attributes ("a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey"), then goes on to discuss the males' gestational role in reproduction and survival tactics of newly independent offspring. Though some statements may require adult elaboration, as when embryos are referred to as the "dots in the eggs," Butterworth has a flair for dynamic writing; children will listen with interest to the dramatic culmination of Sea Horse's birthing efforts, when babies "swirl around him in the water like smoke." Working in the same style that distinguished his artwork in Martin Waddell's Tiny's Big Adventure 0 (2004), Lawrence has created vinyl engravings that masterfully capture the delicate textures of sea horses' graceful, spiny bodies and of their undersea habitats. Capped by useful endnotes, this is an accomplished entree to early science topics.Back to Top
THE FRIENDLY FOUR by Eloise Greenfield
Free-verse poems in alternating and combined voices tell the gentle story of four friends who create a pretend cardboard town called Goodsummer. Idealistic and nostalgic, and illustrated with warm watercolors, this tale has a throwback feel to it, as the children play and invent and take care of one another. Written like a script, the book is perfect for classroom readers' theater.Back to Top
Distracted with thoughts about his father, who disappeared three years ago, Gregor belatedly notices that Boots has crawled into an air vent in the laundry room. He dives in after her, and the two are sucked downward into the Underland, a fantastic subterranean world of translucent-skinned, violet- eyed humans, and giant talking cockroaches, bats, spiders, and rats. Eventually, the terrified Gregor is transformed into a warrior hero who leads a successful battle against an army of invading rats and discovers his father, who has long been held prisoner by the enemy. Collins creates a fascinating, vivid, highly original world and a superb story to go along with it, and Gregor is endearing as a caring, responsible big brother who rises triumphantly to every challenge. This is sure to be a solid hit with young fantasy fans.Back to Top