These books will be in the SPRING BOOK FAIR, March 19-23

1. ERAGON by Christopher Paolini
2. SALLY JEAN, THE BICYCLE QUEEN by Cari Best
3. SEA HORSE: THE SHYEST FISH IN THE SEA by Chris Butterworth
4. THE FRIENDLY FOUR by Eloise Greenfield
5. Question #5 (blank)

ERAGON by Christopher Paolini

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Question #5 (blank)

 
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.

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