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Bad Dog Flash
by Ruth Paul
Ruth Paul (Hedgehog’s Magic Tricks, Red Panda’s Candy Apples) introduces dog Flash in a series of simple four page spreads emphasizing specific doggy habits. “Still cat, dull cat. / Fast cat, fun cat. / Run, cat! / Bad dog, Flash.” While most of the action is on the trouble Flash can cause, it does have the required happy ending for all pet lovers. Easy to read with colorful illustrations created in pencil and watercolor, this title is recommended for ages 3 to 6.
--Tracy Gallagher, MLIS, Collection Development
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Coming Home
by Greg Ruth
Only sixteen words along with colorful illustrations and meaningful facial expressions keep your heart in your mouth as you anticipate what is going to occur as each page is turned in this heart-warming story. A boy and a black and white collie anxiously await the arrival of a plane and its passengers. The dog takes off in a run to greet his owner leaving the boy in the red t-shirt to wander alone through the many passengers arriving who incidentally are all soldiers. Kissing and hugging scenes are illustrated as well as a proud new dad-to-be, but nobody is there for the boy. The anticipation builds as the boy searches the entire area with the wondering face only a child can have until……….. Such a great title for families of soldiers, visiting relatives and yes, this fits in well with the popular topic of gender equality. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.
--Jeanne Martin, M.Ed., Collection Development
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Winter Candle
by Jeron Ashford
An older red brick apartment building with a lit candle in the upper corner window graces the cover of Winter Candle. Jeron Ashford has her readers visit different family apartments with a single candle connecting them all. Nana Clover needs a candle for her Thanksgiving centerpiece and all she has is a used candle she finds in a drawer, but it does the trick! A few weeks later the Danziger family is in need of a Havdalah candle and Nana gladly gives her candle to them. Next, Apartment 4D needs a candle to complete their Saint Lucia crown and then Apartment 5A needs a Faith candle for the Kinara. The candle has taken part in many different multicultural celebrations, but alas, it needs to burn brightly one more time for the new family moving into Apartment 5A. A blustering snowstorm is taking place in the city and the power is down. Will papa find his way with the moving truck full of furniture? Yes, the candle lights the way as all neighbors join in to welcome him. Winter Candle is a great read to introduce the various celebrations held during this time of year. Recommended for ages 4 to 7.
--Jeanne Martin, M.Ed., Collection Development
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Sleuth on Skates
by Clémentine Beauvais
Like a highly independent, mobile yet pint-sized Inspector Lewis (whose demesnes is admittedly Oxford, not Cambridge), our intrepid sleuth-on-skates rules the cobbled streets and colleges of her university town. No detail goes unobserved or unremarked in voluminous vocabulary by 11 year-old Sesame Seade, leaving the reader in stitches while doing so. Roaming the streets on daily reconnaissance, Sesame overhears discussion of a mysterious disappearance of a Cambridge student and decides to put her primo detective skills on the wheel. While Briticisms and obscure references abound, which the curious reader can research and the lazy one ignore, debut author Beauvais carries Sesame's entertaining narrative right along with delicious hilarity reminiscent of Dahl's subversiveness and Rowling's invention. Intellectualism and ingenuity are championed here, too, as in my favorite lines from the book: "If there are as many connections in your brain as there are stars in the universe, why ask for superpowers? If your feet can run and skate and if your hands can climb and swim, why want to fly?" Recommend this series starter to all brainiacs, humor hounds, amateur sleuths, or any combination thereof; for confident readers ages 8 to 11.
--Jill M. Barton, MLIS, Collection Development
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Deafo paperback, hardcover
by Cece Bell
Bell delivers a thought-provoking but delightful graphic memoir about living as a deaf child. At age four, meningitis caused Cece to lose her hearing. She was prescribed a hearing aid, the receiver she wears around her chest, earbuds for her ears, and her teachers wear a microphone so that she can hear them in class. Bell portrays herself as a bunny/human and El Deafo is the superhero she imagines herself to be when confronted with uncomfortable situations. The story is mostly a light-hearted and funny glimpse into how her deafness affects her life, her schooling, and making friends. The art is very simple and colorful. This graphic novel is highly recommended for ages 8 to 11.
--Jenny McCluskey, MSIS, Collection Development
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Mary: The Summoning
by Hillary Monahan
Debut novelist Monahan imagines what it might be like if the bathroom dares of our youth came to life. Four high school friends believe they know the source of the Bloody Mary urban legend, and one night they form a circle to summon her. The ritual works: Mary appears… and refuses to go away! She attaches herself to one of the girls, Shauna, and follows her wherever there are shiny surfaces. As Mary gains more power, she starts to maim and kill Shauna’s circle of friends. With the depiction of Mary as having stringy hair, open wounds seeping tarry blood, decaying flesh, jerky movements, and a rage that won’t die, this title is perfect for fans of the movies Ju-On (The Grudge), Candyman, and The Ring. Mary publishes in September, making it perfect to have on hand for Halloween’s “Bloody Mary” party game. Or is it something more than a game? <wicked laughter> Recommended for ages 12 and up.
--Becky Walton, MLIS, Collection Development
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Through the Woods paperback, hardcover
by Emily Carroll
This collection of five scary stories for teens is great fun. Carroll’s print debut, this volume includes four new stories as well as the webcomic hit, “His Face All Red.” The stories have a very Edgar Allan Poe feel to them. In “Our Neighbor’s House” three sisters are left alone in their house in the woods and is that a stranger at the door? “A Lady’s Hands are Cold” finds a beautiful young bride hearing a mysterious song in her house. “His Face All Red” is the story of two brothers, one a murderer. And in “My Friend Janna” there is a ghostly presence surrounding two girls who play at talking. Finally in “The Nesting Place,” a girl’s sister-in-law is not what she seems to be. A beautiful package, these stories are rendered in a haunting, exquisite style in full color. This graphic novel is highly recommended for ages 12 to 17.
--Jenny McCluskey, MSIS, Collection Development
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Laughing at My Nightmare
by Shane Burcaw
Burcaw was born with spinal muscular atrophy which contorts and weakens his body so severely that he has no use of his arms or legs and gives him the physical appearance of, in his words, “an alien-like pterodactyl creature.” One of his major strengths is his sense of humor; he describes his life as “nothing but one absurd event after another.” He is serious, though, about not being treated as mentally disabled due to his physical appearance, a theme which is repeated often throughout his story. Laughing at My Nightmare is a result of his blog by the same name. Admittedly, Burcaw still has a bit of maturing to do. In one chapter he relates how he deceived a young woman into thinking he was mentally handicapped for his own gains, something he has spent many previous pages lambasting. However, his determination and attitude are commendable and surely he will laugh his way through a life of discovery and growth. Other memoirs coming out this fall from teens facing challenges are I Am Malala (young reader’s edition) by Malala Yousafzai, Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews, Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Hill, We Should Hang Out Sometime byJosh Sundquist, and Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl, reviewed in the May newsletter. Laughing at My Nightmare is recommended for ages 14 and up.
--Becky Walton, MLIS, Collection Development
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Gender identity issues have been very much in the media recently; here are some Fall titles that tackle the topic:
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I Am Jazz
by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, with illustrations by Shelagh McNicholas
This picture book tells the story of beautiful Jazz Jennings, who is now a teenager and the inspiration for/co-founder of The Transkids Purple Rainbow Foundation. |
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It’s Perfectly Normal
by Robie Harris
In the 20th anniversary edition, updates have been made to include discussion of gender identity. |
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Gracefully Grayson
by Ami Polonsky
Grayson Sender has been holding onto a secret for what seems like forever: “he” is a girl on the inside, stuck in the wrong gender’s body. The weight of this secret is crushing, but sharing it would mean facing ridicule, scorn, rejection, or worse. This moving story tackles issues of identity, not sexuality, and addresses the subject matter in a way that will make sense to younger readers even while speaking to their parents, educators, and friends. |
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Some Assembly Required
by Arin Andrews
This memoir of a young man born in a girl’s body is related to Rethinking Normal in that the authors dated and received media attention. |
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Rethinking Normal
by Katie Hill
Katie was born with the physical body of a boy but always knew she was a girl. She was in a relationship with Arin Andrews and has undergone full reassignment surgery. |
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Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voices
by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Mills helps readers understand concepts such as cisgender, transgender, transsexual, gender identity versus gender presentation, and more. She also shares the stories of seven transgender people. |
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