May 27, 2008 Perhaps you recall that fine scene in The Planet of The Apes, at the very end, where Charlton Heston and company dig into the sand of a cave and uncover a golf club and a human doll. It really is a shame that they didn't extract a copy of Elizabeth Bluemle's My Father the Dog as well. Nothing would have softened Charlton up for the horror of finding The Statue of Liberty head around the corner quite like encountering the perfect Father's Day present first. We'll be giving away an autographed copy of this delightful picture book to a Weekly Top 2 subscriber as A Father's Day gift. The winner will be announced on June 12th! Make sure to check out the reviews below of Erin Hunter's new middle grade fantasy book, Seekers. We had some local Hunter fans assess how well this new series stood up to her very popular Warriors series. The kids wrote some fabulous reviews, and the answer to our question surprised us. Here they are! Our weekly picks for the two best: two hardcover, two paperback, and two children's books. The very best new arrivals to leap out of the box and onto our shelves this week. 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!   Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses, and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science By Preston, Richard, Jr. 2008/05 - Random House 9781400064908 - Hardcover List Price $26.00 - Your Price: $20.80 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Preston's penchant for making biology fun, interesting, and terrifying, is well served in this collection of topical essays. He also steps into some other scientific realms, as in his portrait of the Chudnovsky brothers who have developed a cut rate supercomputer in their apartment whose purpose is to find the hidden pattern in pi. Interestingly, though this is also the subject of a classic cult film by Darren Aronofsky, Preston doesn't tie Aronofsky's fictional account into his non-fiction subjects. Other essays include, "Self Cannibals," "The Human Kabbalah." and "The Search for Ebola." ...More   The Reapers: A Thriller By Connolly, John 2008/05 - Atria Books 9781416569527 - Hardcover List Price $26.00 - Your Price: $20.80 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Connolly's steady rise as a thinking person's thriller writer should get another boost from The Reapers. ...More   At Large and at Small: Familiar Essays By Fadiman, Anne 2008/05 - Farrar Straus Giroux 9780374531317 - Trade Paper List Price $12.00 - Your Price: $9.60 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Anne Fadiman's first book of familiar essays, Ex Libris, was so good that one was inclined to feel sorry for whatever successor she produced. To Fadiman's lasting credit no one need put a supportive shoulder around At Large and At Small. This collection of personal essays is full of well turned phrases, charming literary propositions, and a joy in reading and reflection one would have to be an ungallant coxcomb not to share....More   Clapton: The Autobiography By Clapton, Eric 2008/06 - Broadway Books 9780767925365 - Trade Paper List Price $15.95 - Your Price: $12.76 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Hey, if you were waiting for paperback for this bestselling memoir, the surf is up!...More   Well Witched By Hardinge, Frances 2008/06 - HarperCollins 9780060880385 - Hardcover List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Frances Hardinge's delightful combination of style and humor holds court again in her second novel, Well Witched. This tale of the peculiarly appropriate consequences which befall three young friends who steal coins from a wishing well is a sure source of pleasure for any reader over eight years old....More   Seekers #1: The Quest Begins By Hunter, Erin 2008/06 - HarperCollins 9780060871222 - Hardcover List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order When I heard that Erin Hunter, (who is actually a three person authorial team), was  moving on from her popular cat adventure series, Warriors, to a new series involving bears, Seekers, I sought the opinion of two local 9-13 year olds. From 10 year old Dylan Roberts: Seekers is a story that has blown my mind. When I first read Warriors Into the Wild I thought that writers could not get any better books out... I was wrong. In the thrilling story of Seekers a young female black bear in a zoo yearns for the wild. She wants a more exciting life. She hears stories of the wild from the mother of Toklo, the grizzly cub. The mother is mad with grief from losing her other son. Other characters are a grizzly cub that has lost a brother and a mother who is alone. Also a polar bear whose young'un lost her brother and her mother when she was eaten by a killer whale. This is an exciting story. If you read this book you'll be thrilled beyond your wildest imagination. This is a great book and I urge you to read it. That little bit was for readers. For bookstore owners you might want to know that this is a serious book but there is a bit of humour. This is a book of descriptive writing and intense environment. I highly suggest this book. Special comparative rating: Warriors on a scale of 1-10: 8 --  Seekers on a scale of 1-10: 10 From 11 year old Randon: This book starts slow, but picks up speed as it goes along. This text is remarkable because of the fact that it is written in the bear's point of view. The bears are slowly, painfully brought together in a quest of their own survival. Will these unlikely companions stick it out, or will their own past be too much for them to handle? Kalik, the strong hearted Polar bear, remembers a horrifying past. The vision of her mother being devoured by Orca haunts her, along with the mem...More