from http://www.toyskids.co.uk/
With a quirky and charming style that should draw in readers from the outset, Cohagan's debut is a gently creepy, captivating fantasy about loss, determination, and hope. Josephine is 12 years old and desperately lonely. One day, a mysterious boy, Fargus, appears at her house, mute and hungry. Fargus has been fascinated with Josephine ever since he found the “crack” between their worlds, but he never expected her to accidentally follow him back to the land of Gulm, ruled by the evil “Master,” where children are taken from their families and fear has hold of the townspeople. Fargus and his friend Ida escape with Josephine to avoid becoming the Master's next victims. When Josephine is separated from her friends and they are taken captive, she must determine her connection to the Master and confront him to rescue them. There are some brutal moments (Ida's parents are murdered in cold blood), but the atmosphere of peril is generally light and the puzzle of what happened to the missing children is managed well, without being too disturbing to the intended audience. Ages 8–12
The Mysterious Howling Maryrose Wood
from http://www.toykids.co.uk/
In this humorous kickoff to the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, Wood (My Life: The Musical) injects new life into the governess theme by charging genteel 15-year-old Penelope Lumley (educated at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females) with three wild children—Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia—who were raised in the woods and taken into the “care” of Lord Frederic Ashton and his selfish, superficial bride (the children are living in a barn when Penelope arrives). With a Snicketesque affect, Wood's narrative propels the drama; Penelope is a standout, often invoking the truisms of her school's founder (“The best way to find out how fast a horse can run is to smack it on the rump”) while caring for the Incorrigibles—named such so they won't be presumed Ashton's heirs. Despite the slapstick situations involving the children's disheveled appearance, pack behavior, and lack of language, the real barbarism comes from the Ashtons and a society that eagerly anticipates their failure. Though the novel ends a bit abruptly, the pervasive humor and unanswered questions should have readers begging for more. Ages 8–12
In this humorous kickoff to the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, Wood (My Life: The Musical) injects new life into the governess theme by charging genteel 15-year-old Penelope Lumley (educated at the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females) with three wild children—Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia—who were raised in the woods and taken into the “care” of Lord Frederic Ashton and his selfish, superficial bride (the children are living in a barn when Penelope arrives). With a Snicketesque affect, Wood's narrative propels the drama; Penelope is a standout, often invoking the truisms of her school's founder (“The best way to find out how fast a horse can run is to smack it on the rump”) while caring for the Incorrigibles—named such so they won't be presumed Ashton's heirs. Despite the slapstick situations involving the children's disheveled appearance, pack behavior, and lack of language, the real barbarism comes from the Ashtons and a society that eagerly anticipates their failure. Though the novel ends a bit abruptly, the pervasive humor and unanswered questions should have readers begging for more. Ages 8–12
The Hidden Boy Jon Berkeley. HarperCollins/Tegen
from http://www.toyskids.co.uk/
Berkeley's (the Wednesday Tales trilogy) first offering in the Bell Hoot Fables series is a whimsical fantasy adventure in the tradition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Pippi Longstocking. No one in Bea Flint's family claims to remember entering the raffle that has won them a “Blue Moon Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventure Holiday,” but they jump at the chance for a free trip. Despite skepticism about traveling on an amphibious “busmarine” that departs from a local car wash, they soon find themselves in the land of Bell Hoot. But Bea's seven-year-old brother, Theo, has disappeared during the journey, and as Bea, a girl who “was more often to be found reading encyclopedias than anything else,” searches for him, she finds herself growing into abilities she never dreamed of. Meanwhile, one of nine local clans, the Ledbetters, is just as determined to find Theo, to whom they have laid claim according to custom. Berkeley's prose and plotting gleam with humor and originality; this fast-paced tale should readily win over readers, who will be eager for a return visit to Bell Hoot. Ages 8–12
Berkeley's (the Wednesday Tales trilogy) first offering in the Bell Hoot Fables series is a whimsical fantasy adventure in the tradition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Pippi Longstocking. No one in Bea Flint's family claims to remember entering the raffle that has won them a “Blue Moon Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventure Holiday,” but they jump at the chance for a free trip. Despite skepticism about traveling on an amphibious “busmarine” that departs from a local car wash, they soon find themselves in the land of Bell Hoot. But Bea's seven-year-old brother, Theo, has disappeared during the journey, and as Bea, a girl who “was more often to be found reading encyclopedias than anything else,” searches for him, she finds herself growing into abilities she never dreamed of. Meanwhile, one of nine local clans, the Ledbetters, is just as determined to find Theo, to whom they have laid claim according to custom. Berkeley's prose and plotting gleam with humor and originality; this fast-paced tale should readily win over readers, who will be eager for a return visit to Bell Hoot. Ages 8–12
Sweet and Sunny Coleen Murtagh Paratore. Scholastic Press
from http://www.toyskids.co.uk/
In this follow-up to Sunshine Holiday, the eponymous heroine of that novel retains her steadfast optimism despite rough patches in her life. Narrator Sunny misses her father, who is still in prison (“Daddy made a big mistake, and he's very sorry for it”). Her mother has lost her job as a hotel chambermaid and is having trouble finding work. And Mrs. Lullaby, her beloved fourth-grade teacher, is dismissed by the “never-smile principal,” Mr. Otis (“All he cares about are tests.... All she cares about is teaching”). Taking matters into her own hands, the sassy, stubborn girl manages to find a potential job for her mother and to get her teacher rehired. Sunny's other missions include making Valentine's Day “even sweeter” and using her recent appointment as junior deputy mayor of her town to plan “the first annual Kid's Day,” a subplot that gets short shrift. Sunny's observations favor the use of hyphens—Mrs. Lullaby's face shines “like a teacher-apple” and her class takes a “butterflies-in-our-tummies test”—and can be syrupy. A satisfying if predictable finale lives up to the book's title. Ages 7–10
In this follow-up to Sunshine Holiday, the eponymous heroine of that novel retains her steadfast optimism despite rough patches in her life. Narrator Sunny misses her father, who is still in prison (“Daddy made a big mistake, and he's very sorry for it”). Her mother has lost her job as a hotel chambermaid and is having trouble finding work. And Mrs. Lullaby, her beloved fourth-grade teacher, is dismissed by the “never-smile principal,” Mr. Otis (“All he cares about are tests.... All she cares about is teaching”). Taking matters into her own hands, the sassy, stubborn girl manages to find a potential job for her mother and to get her teacher rehired. Sunny's other missions include making Valentine's Day “even sweeter” and using her recent appointment as junior deputy mayor of her town to plan “the first annual Kid's Day,” a subplot that gets short shrift. Sunny's observations favor the use of hyphens—Mrs. Lullaby's face shines “like a teacher-apple” and her class takes a “butterflies-in-our-tummies test”—and can be syrupy. A satisfying if predictable finale lives up to the book's title. Ages 7–10
Pink Me Up Charise Mericle Harper. Knopf
from http://www.toyskids.co.uk/
Harper (the Fashion Kitty series) delivers a frothy tale that will most appeal to girls with an untiring love of all things pink. Clad ears to toe in that color, a rabbit is excited that the day of the “Pink Girls Pink-nic” has arrived, until Mama wakes up sick (“Why is Mama wearing pink spots? Did you put them on specially for the party?”). When Daddy offers to accompany the girl instead, she'll have none of it, exclaiming “Boys are NOT pink!” A pink necktie isn't quite enough, but after he announces, “We just have to pink me up,” she decorates his clothes with pink marker, tape, and stickers and deems him “perfectly pink.” He's a hit at the party—and she's the envy of all her friends. Rendered in acrylic, Harper's characteristically unadorned, childlike cartoons add to the book's whimsy and rosy exaggeration (exclamation points and the color pink go hand in hand, and both are used with abandon). Even readers who aren't as single-minded when it comes to colors will empathize with the heroine's emotional highs and lows. Ages 5–8
Harper (the Fashion Kitty series) delivers a frothy tale that will most appeal to girls with an untiring love of all things pink. Clad ears to toe in that color, a rabbit is excited that the day of the “Pink Girls Pink-nic” has arrived, until Mama wakes up sick (“Why is Mama wearing pink spots? Did you put them on specially for the party?”). When Daddy offers to accompany the girl instead, she'll have none of it, exclaiming “Boys are NOT pink!” A pink necktie isn't quite enough, but after he announces, “We just have to pink me up,” she decorates his clothes with pink marker, tape, and stickers and deems him “perfectly pink.” He's a hit at the party—and she's the envy of all her friends. Rendered in acrylic, Harper's characteristically unadorned, childlike cartoons add to the book's whimsy and rosy exaggeration (exclamation points and the color pink go hand in hand, and both are used with abandon). Even readers who aren't as single-minded when it comes to colors will empathize with the heroine's emotional highs and lows. Ages 5–8
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