What Our Booksellers (and One Child) Are Reading and Loving

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (available October 12, 2010)

Times are tough in 1936 and Abilene’s father has to send her away to his hometown Manifest, Kansas. Initially Manifest does not live up to all the old stories, but Abilene quickly becomes enmeshed in the town’s history when she finds an old cigar box full of someone’s mementos. The most interesting thing in the box might be the old letters that mention a spy. She really wants to find out her dad fit into this past. I loved Abilene and all the other quirky characters in Manifest. Abilene’s spunky character, her desire to find the best out about her dad make this story a standout.

– Margaret Brennan Neville, King’s English, Salt Lake City, UT

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (available October 12, 2010)

Andi Alpers is in a tough spot. Her little brother’s tragic death has sent her life, and her mother’s, into a tailspin. When things reach a crisis point, her dad makes her go to Paris with him. Andi finds the diary of a young woman who lived 200 years ago at the height of the French Revolution. Alexandrine’s life is a welcome distraction for Andi. The intersection of the present and past, the despair of loss and the burden of grieving is present in both heroines. Donnelly welcomes young women into wonderful literature with compelling story and genuine characters.

– Margaret Brennan Neville, King’s English, Salt Lake City, UT

REVOLUTION is absolutely the best book I have read in ages.  I can’t even tell you how attached I am to this book right now.  I am going to sell it to everybody that walks in the door. Literally, I’m tempted to cancel half of the other not-so-good teen books I ordered from other lists because this is the one that I know I’m going to sell.  I really, really LOVED this book!

– Erin Taylor, Wonderland Books and Toys, Rockford, IL 

 

A Crack in the Sky by Mark Peter Hughes (available August 24, 2010)

I am writing because I just finished “A Crack in the Sky”.  It is an INCREDIBLE story!   I have been eating and sleeping with it for two days because I could not put it down.  I am so excited about this book and can’t wait to start sharing it with my readers.  It is really every bit as good as “Hunger Games” and I believe it will have a broad audience appeal. The story is brilliant and rich and compelling and awesome…need I say more?!! I have been raving about it like a lunatic! Thanks for getting this into our hands.  I am a HUGE fan.  Please pass my congratulations on to Mark Peter Hughes, and tell him we will wait, not so patiently, for the next installment!!!

– Holly Frakes, Schuler Books and Music, Okemos, MI

 

Dear Tyrannosaurus Rex by Lisa McClatchy, illustrated by John Manders (now available)

What if you invited a Tyrannosaurus Rex to your birthday party and he actually came? How much pepperoni pizza would you need? (He is a carnivore, after all!) What kind of party games would you play?

(Twister? Pin the tail on the dinosaur?) In the delightful new picture book DEAR TYRANNOSAURUS REX, a little girl named Erin writes a letter to a real dinosaur, letting him know exactly how much fun he’d have at her party. Every page highlights a possible party activity, and showcases the T-Rex having a blast with Erin and her friends. Illustrator John Manders’ vibrant and humorous illustrations perfectly depict the imaginative and charming text. This book is sure to be a winner with the picture book set. Bravo, Lisa McClatchy, for remembering that girls love dinosaurs too!

– Heather Hebert, Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA

 

Trash by Andy Mulligan (available October 12, 2010)

Heartbreaking. Heart-pounding. Heart-warming. These are the words that come to mind when I think Andy Mulligan’s brilliant novel TRASH. In an unnamed Third World country, Raphael and his two friends Gardo and Rat eke out a bleak existence. Living in large metal containers at a dumpsite, they scrounge for food and scraps as they sort through trash every day. One would think the despair of this life would crush these boys, but somehow they maintain a spirit of loyalty and love that allows them to surmount the steepest obstacles. It is because of their amazing character that they are able to survive the harrowing consequences that are unleashed on them following the “unlucky-lucky day” when they find something far more valuable than anyone could imagine in the trash.

This is a story that will leave you breathless, it will open your eyes, it will make you think, but most of all it will open your heart to three young boys that you will never forget.

– Heather Hebert, Children’s Book World, Haverford, PA

 
Trash is a really fantastic book about three boys and their miraculous story. One
day Raphael and his friend Gardo are picking up trash at the dumpsite they
live near. They decide that they are going to pick up trash down by one of the
crane-belts, which is sort of dangerous. Then Raphael finds a bag with special
and amazing things inside that will change their lives, but will it be for the worse
or for the better?? This book is an amazing story with shock, betrayal and the
willpower to make things right again after a pointless murder. In an odd way it
reminds me of Lord of the Flies, which is a classic book about human nature.
I don’t know if this is the purpose of the author, but Trash seems like it has a
hidden message about good and evil.
– Peter Bradley, age 12 (submitted to 57^th Street Books, Chicago, IL)

 

Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea (available October 12, 2010)

 
What a gem of a book!  In six voices, students tell the story of a year in Mr. Terupt’s classroom.  We hear from every part of the classroom:  the smart kid, the mean girl, the left-out girl and more.  The story flows beautifully from voice to voice and every student will find a voice with which they can identify.  This is a must-read for grades 4 and up.

– Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

  

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (available October 26, 2010)

When Lily finds most of her family gone for the Christmas holidays, her brother decides she needs adventure and encourages her to leave a red note book full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for the right guy to come along and find it.  Dash finds it and passes it back, beginning a hilarious exchange of dares and crosstown trips.  Cohn and Levithan (of Nick & Nora’s Infinite Playlist) have crafted another wonderful novel.  Highly recommended for grades 7 and up.

-Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX