Scholastic Canada: Dewey Diva Picks

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			The Wrong Book by Nick Bland ISBN 978-0545980340 / Hardcover 32 Pages / Picture Book I can’t resist books about books so this one was destined to make it onto the list. Nicholas Ickle keeps trying to introduce his picture book when a variety of storybook characters appear by accident – pirates, a queen, elephants and rats. By the time poor Nicholas evicts them all and tells us that the book is about him he finds himself on the very last page in this funny and charming story.
			Lion’s Lunch by Fiona Tierney, Illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain ISBN 978-0545176910 / Hardcover 32 Pages / Picture Book Sarah is strolling through the jungle, singing a happy song, when Lion pounces. How dare she trespass on his turf? He is King of the Jungle--where nobody strolls and sings: They lumber and grunt, sprint and squeak, slither and harrumph! Lion makes an executive decision to eat the little girl for lunch. But Sarah thinks fast: True, she can’t wallow like the hippo or wriggle like the snake, but she can draw. And her portrait of the great big grumpy cat-in-chief gives him pause: If that’s really how all the other animals see him, how can he change?
			Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas ISBN 978-0439728065 / Hardcover 48 Pages / Older Picture Book A mighty tale for every kid who has ever wanted to shout: You are not the boss of me! This is the story of how one little boy, with some help from six monsters, five gods (his squabbling siblings!), an enchanted she-goat, and his mother, became god of gods, master of lightning and thunder, and ruler over all! G. Brian Karas’s playful and irreverent retelling of the myth of Zeus proves that being small (and young) doesn’t mean you can’t be the hero, reign supreme, and have fun.
			Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete, Illustrated by Shane W. Evans ISBN 978-0545094665 / Hardcover 40 Pages / Picture Book Callie is very proud of her brother Charlie. He’s good at so many things--swimming, playing the piano, running fast. And Charlie has a special way with animals, especially their dog, Harriett. But sometimes Charlie gets very quiet. His words get locked inside him, and he seems far away. Then, when Callie and Charlie start to play, Charlie is back to laughing, holding hands, having fun. Charlie is like any other boy--and he has autism. In this story, told from a sister’s point of view, we meet a family whose oldest son teaches them important lessons about togetherness, hope, tolerance, and love.
			Farm by Elisha Cooper ISBN 978-0545070751 / Hardcover 48 Pages / Picture Book There is so much to look at and learn about on a farm--animals, tractors, crops, and barns. And children feeding animals for morning chores! With lyrical writing and beautiful illustrations that capture the rhythms of the changing seasons, Elisha Cooper brings the farm to life.
			Stolen Child by Marsha Skrypuch ISBN 978-0545986120 / Paperback 154 Pages / Middle Grade Fiction Stolen from her family by the Nazis, Nadia is a young girl who tries to make sense of her confusing memories and haunting dreams. Bit by bit she starts to uncover the truth--that the German family she grew up with, the woman who calls herself Nadia’s mother, are not who they say they are. Beyond her privileged German childhood, Nadia unearths memories of a woman singing her a lullaby, while the taste of gingersnap cookies brings her back to a strangely familiar, yet unknown, past. Piece by piece, Nadia comes to realize who her real family was. But where are they now? What became of them? And what is her real name? This story of a Lebensborn girl--a child kidnapped for her "Aryan looks" by the Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race--reveals one child’s fierce determination to uncover her past against incredible odds.
			The Pickle King by Rebecca Promitzer ISBN 978-0545170871 / Paperback 416 Pages / Middle Grade Fiction Bea lives in the podunk, nowhere town of Elbow, where it rains so much the residents have green mold growing between their toes. Nothing ever happens in Elbow. Its closest claim to fame is a giant pickle factory, owned by Herman, the Pickle King. Herman’s a small-time big shot, a local celebrity.... Until he turns up dead. And when Bea, Sam, and their friends stumble across his body--minus one eyeball--in the waterlogged basement of a creepy old house, suddenly they’re the ones in a pickle! With a mystery to solve, maybe this summer won’t be such a bore after all.
			The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan, Illustrated by Peter Sis ISBN 978-0439269704 / Hardcover 384 Pages / Middle Grade Fiction Much to his father’s disappointment, Neftalí is not like other children. Frail and painfully shy, he spends most of his time alone: collecting treasures, reading, writing, and daydreaming. While his father plans to build him into a robust doctor, Neftalí has other longings stirring inside him. The natural world in his native Chile and the painful injustices he witnesses there move him equally. How Neftalí reconciles his own dreams with his father’s is at the heart of this inspiring, radiant, and profoundly moving story of self-discovery. Pam Muñoz Ryan weaves sound poems and thought provoking questions into her exquisitely crafted prose to create a narrative tapestry of color, rhythm, and emotion, while Peter Sís’s delicate, mesmerizing drawings transport readers to the lushness of the rainforest, the vastness of the sea, and the whimsy of Neftalí’s imagination. This is a gorgeous story of the young man who grew up to become Pablo Neruda.
			Numbers by Rachel Ward ISBN 978-0545142991 / Hardcover 336 Pages / Young Adult Fiction Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. But while they’re waiting to ride the Eye Ferris wheel, Jem notices that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!
			After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick ISBN 978-0439837064 / Paperback 272 Pages / Young Adult Fiction Jeffrey isn’t a little boy with cancer anymore. He’s a teen in remission. Even though the cancer should be far behind him, life still feels fragile. The aftereffects of treatment have left Jeffrey with an inability to be a great student or to walk without limping. His parents still worry about him. His older brother, Steven, who has always been Jeffrey’s main support system and confidant, lost it and took off to Africa to be in a drumming circle and "find himself". Jeffrey has a little soul searching to do, too. He needs to tell Steven how he feels about basically being abandoned. His best friend, Tad, is hatching some kind of secretive, crazy plan, which is driving him bonkers. And there’s a girl who is way out of his league but who thinks he’s cute.
			Journey to Mars: Quest for the Red Planet by Jonathan Webb ISBN 978-1443100090 / Paperback 48 Pages / Middle Grade Nonfiction Undoubtedly, getting to Mars is not going to be easy. The voyagers will face extreme physical danger--from asteroids and massive Martian dust storms to erupting giant volcanoes. Could humans survive the Red Planet? Drawing on the latest scientific research, and delving into humankind's fascination with Mars, Jonathan Webb creates a lively picture of what a Mars expedition would be like--from life aboard a Mars habitation module, how the astronauts would explore the planet’s surface, to their triumphant return to Earth.
			Copper by Kazu Kibuishi ISBN 978-0545098939 / Paperback 96 Pages / Graphic Fiction Copper is curious, Fred is fearful. And together boy and dog are off on a series of adventures through marvelous worlds, powered by Copper's limitless enthusiasm and imagination. Sailing, surfing, shrimp racing...(shrimp racing?)--the two have a knack for getting into all sorts of odd situations. Copper’s good cheer always smooths the way--and Fred can usually be won over if there’s food involved. This definitive collection of the popular Web comic includes all-new comics and stories, and a special section on the making of Copper. Each Copper and Fred story in this graphic novel collection is a complete vignette, filled with richly detailed settings and told with a wry sense of humor. These two enormously likable characters build ships and planes to travel to surprising destinations and have a knack for getting into all sorts of odd situations. Copper's good cheer always smoothes the way---and Fred can usually be won over if there's food involved.