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The Deadlies: Felix Takes the Stage
by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by Stephen Gilpin
Scholastic Press, 2010
$15.99, ages 9-12, 142 pages.
Felix, a recluse spider, knows better than to show himself to humans, but one day his dream of riding the conductor's baton in the philharmonic hall gets the better of him and all havoc erupts.
At the sight of Felix on his baton, the conductor collapses in fright, causing Felix to fall and lose a leg. His mother worries exterminators are on their way and whisks the kids away from their hideout.
But why, asks Felix, must they always run away and will his dream of being an artist ever come true?
In this first book in a fun new series, Lasky transforms one of the most feared spiders into a creature to cheer for, though at the end, cautions readers to steer clear of them in real-life.
Whistle Bright Magic: A Nutfolk Tale
by Barb Bentler Ullman
Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
$16.99, ages 9-12, 224 pages
Twenty years after the debut of The Fairies of Nutfolk Wood, a grownup Willa returns from the big city to Plunkit with daughter Zelly, and though Willa can no longer see the fairies, Zelly meets the last remaining fairy child living in the wood, Ronald Whistle Bright.
But what can Zelly do to stop developers threatening to destroy the fairy village of Nutfolk Wood and will she ever reconnect with the father she hasn't seen since her parents separated?
Pair this engaging sequel with th