One thing that comes to the attention of booksellers who care about their customers is that Young Adult series such as Gossip Girls, A-List and The Clique are a big draw for Middle Grade readers who are way to young to be reading them. These books don't hint at mature content, they deliver it. This brings me to a new middle grade novel, Paisley Hanover Acts Out. Though Paisley Hanover Acts Out comes with more accessories than most Middle Grade books, an interactive website, a decorated box, an illustrated diary (which is apparently becoming de rigueur), and characters named Paisley, Carreyn, Mandy Mindel, Bodie and Bentley, it is as much about what it doesn't have as what it does. Like a Shirley Temple cocktail, Paisley Hanover Acts Out offers the same lingo, and a similar emphasis on social group hierarchies as that found in the Gossip Girls and Clique type books, but without the sleaze and crass consumerism. Tuttle establishes atmospheric credentials with whiffs of mature themes, and valley girlisms such as "I totally did!" In terms of Paisley's indivuality the book features 'sidebras' instead of sidebars, and the prefix un is used unstintingly, as in UnSlogans, UnSane, UnTarded and so forth. Nothing brings middle grade tensions to a head like class president elections and that is the vehicle of choice here for the book to show that underneath all its accessories its heart is in the UnWrong place. I'm not sure that the accessories, website, box and diary, are much of a selling point, yet there's no question but that handing Paisley Hanover to an eleven year old girl instead of the the next
A-List book is a really good idea. So yes, I'll totally be promoting this book.
This was a really big week for Childrens Picture books so we're making an issue of it down below! Call or email us if you
want more information on any of these titles, or to have us hold you a
copy. Or stop in and check them out in person. We'd love to see you.
Thanks as always for sharing your reading with us!
My Brother Bert
By Pohrt, Tom Hughes, Ted Pearson, Tracey Campbell 2009/04 -
Farrar Straus Giroux
9780374399825 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.95 - Your Price: $13.56
Campbell Pearson's delightful illustrations perfectly capture the imagination and spirit of Ted Hughes' famous poem for children. She also adds thematic elements via her imagery which deepen the content and give young listeners more handles to grasp on. ...More
Paula Bunyan
By Root, Phyllis O'Malley, Kevin 2009/03 -
Farrar Straus Giroux
9780374357597 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.95 - Your Price: $13.56
Of this clever and entertaining foray into the world of Paul Bunyan Jon declares: "Paula Bunyan is a pretty awesome book. Growing up in Bangor, the legend of Paul Bunyan was laid on me like the Gospel. The story has always been one of my favorites, and this spin-off is likely to become a new classic, as it should. Like that of her brother, the story of Paula Bunyan is a whopper, rich with all of the tall tale qualities that make the tradition so much fun. The exaggeration and similes might make it an ideal book for teaching young students about the elements of this American folkloric style. What's more, Paula's story parts diametrically with Paul's in its ecologically themed climax." ...More
Hat
By Hoppe, Paul Hoppe, Paul 2009/03 -
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
9781599902470 -
Hardcover See Other Formats
List Price $14.99 - Your Price: $11.99
Hat is a truly rare and wonderful book. A young boy named Henry finds a hat on a bench and imagines all the wonderful things he could do with it. His mother then gently asks, "but Henry, what if someone else needs this hat?" Henry then imagines all the troubles someone might be having from the loss of their wonderful hat and chooses to leave it on the bench. If ever a book taught a single, vitally important, but difficult to grasp lesson, it is Hat....More
Redwoods
By Chin, Jason 2009/03 -
Flash Point
9781596434301 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.95 - Your Price: $13.56
This moving and important account of segregation is brilliantly told by award winning Maine non fiction author Philip Hoose. Claudette Colvin, a fifteen year old African American, refused to yield her seat on a bus in 1955. Unlike Rosa Parks, Colvin was treated harshly and, despite the strength and steadiness of her convictions, never became a focal point of national attention. Her story had remained largely untold, an historical footnote, until Hoose, who patiently persisted in trying to reach the reclusive Colvin, eventually won her agreement to work with him for this book. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice brings to life not only the on the ground civil rights struggle in the deep south, but also the price and perspective afforded by that struggle. ...More
No!
By McPhail, David M. 2009/03 -
Roaring Brook Press
9781596432888 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.95 - Your Price: $13.56
There is only one word spoken in this book. McPhail, in this otherwise wordless story, argues powerfully for the importance of saying no to bullying. Simple, yet, politically charged, McPhail's argument for the transformative power of saying no provides a strong basis for important discussions with young readers in both classrooms and living rooms....More
