Please enable JavaScript
Print | Page 322 | LitPick Book Reviews
Print
Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar
Changing The World
Mercedes Lackey
In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Valdemar was the beginning of a fantasy masterpiece that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now sixteen of today’s hottest fantasy authors—including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr—visit the world of Valdemar, adding their own special touches.

Book Details

Moyasimon 1: Tales of Agriculture
Moyasimon 1
Ishikawa Masayuki
BACTERIA TO SCHOOLTadayasu is a new, fresh-faced university student hiding a bizarre secret: He can see germs with the naked eye. Between the machinations of an eccentric professor determined to unlock the power of the microbial world and the doomed agricultural experiments of his fellow students, will Tadayasu ever find the cool college atmosphere he so desires?

Book Details

Spells of the City
Spells of the City
Martin H. Greenberg, Jean Rabe
Venture into Spells of the City, where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge…Harry the Book will be happy to place your bets in a spellbinding alternative New York…a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when he’s forced to live by his creator’s rules…and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold.

Book Details

A Faraway Island
A Faraway Island
Linda Schenck, Annika Thor
Two Jewish sisters leave Austria during WWII/Holocaust and find refuge in Sweden.It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Vienna—12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellie—are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden.Nellie quickly settles in to her new surroundings. She’s happy with her foster family and soon favors the Swedish language over her native German. Not so for Stephie, who finds it hard to adapt; she feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who’s as cold and unforgiving as the island itself. Her main worry, though, is her parents—and whether she will ever see them again.

Book Details

The Century for Young People: 1936-1961: Defining America
The Century For Young People
Todd Brewster, Peter Jennings
Experience the greatest moments of the 20th century with an accessible narrative that makes history come alive.Adapted from the #1 national bestseller especially for young readers!The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change, the most eventful hundred years in human history. Join Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster for a fascinating journey back in time to experience, through vivid first-person accounts, the most surprising and the most terrifying events of the past hundred years. These are the voices of ordinary people—children and adults who were a part of history in the making. Their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears provide a compelling insider's look at momentous events that have reshaped the world. The Century for Young People is a riveting read and an essential research volume. It is the story of our time for all time.

Book Details

I Learned a New Word Today ... Genocide
I Learned A New Word Today....Genocide
Elizabeth Hankins
Javier Mendoza has learned a new word and he does not like it. As his fifth grade class explores the shocking history of countries ranging from Armenia to Sudan, Javier realizes that the past—and even the present—is telling him a story that he cannot ignore. Then he overhears a conversation that triggers a mysterious chain of events at his school. Now Javier is faced with the reality that no one is immune to the consequences of genocide. And perhaps everyone has a responsibility to help end it, even himself.

Book Details

Drawing Manga Animals, Chibis, and Other Adorable Creatures
Drawing Manga Animals
J.C. Amberlyn
Learn the Tricks of the Trade for Drawing Irresistibly Cute Manga-Style Animals and Chibis! The world of manga is filled with strange creatures and adorable sidekicks. Just about every manga hero and heroine has an animal mascot, and all the most popular ones have a cute "chibi" form. This book teaches aspiring manga artists how to create the funny critters that populate girls' manga and the more gritty, gothic creatures found in boys' manga.  It starts with the basics of creating manga-style characters—everything from drawing heads and faces to eyes and expressions, to creating incredibly cute chibis. Part two features a valuable reference section on the mythological and real animals that have shaped Japanese artwork and stories. The final section has step-by-step demonstrations on using computer programs such as Photoshop and Corel Painter to create manga art and comics. So whether you're just starting out and want to draw a cute, simple mascot, or would like to try something more complex like an Asian dragon, or are ready to create your own otherworldly adventure, this book has something for you no matter what your skill level.

Book Details

A Really Short History of Nearly Everything
A Real Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson
Enter the world of science as Bill Bryson unmasks the mysteries of the universe.Did you know that:• Every atom in your body has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to being you?• If you are an average-sized kid, you have enough potential energy inside you to explode with the force of several hydrogen bombs?And—What happened to dinosaurs? How big is the universe? Why are oceans salty? Is a meteor going to hit us?Tackling everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bill Bryson’s inimitable storytelling skill makes the why, how, and, just as importantly, the who of scientific discovery entertaining and accessible for young readers.

Book Details

Powerless (Supers of Noble's Green)
Powerless
Matthew Cody
Superheroes soar in this promising debut—and they’re kids!Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice—but odd—new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they’re haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirteen, their abilities will disappear—along with any memory that they ever had them. Is a memory-stealing supervillain sapping their powers?The answers lie in a long-ago meteor strike, a World War II–era comic book (Fantastic Futures, starring the first superhero, Johnny Noble), the green-flamed Witch Fire, a hidden Shroud cave, and—possibly, unbelievably—“powerless” regular-kid Daniel himself.Superhero kids meet comic book mystery in this action-filled debut about the true meaning of a hero.

Book Details

Girls Acting Catty (Annabelle Unleashed)
Girls Acting Catty
Leslie Margolis
What's harder to deal with than a group of boys who act like dogs? How about a clique of catty mean girls? Annabelle has just figured out how to survive in junior high school. She's made great friends, her teachers are nice, and she's got lots of tricks up her sleeve for taming those pesky boys. But now she and her friends must confront a whole new brand of headache-- the mean girl clique. At first Taylor and her friends were out to get Annabelle's bff Rachel, but soon the whole group is involved. Their friendship is getting tenser by the minute -- unless Annabelle can save the day again?

Book Details

Pages



RECENT BOOK REVIEWS