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The other day, I had a few spare moments out to myself (a rare thing), so I naturally stopped by the nearest bookstore. I've also been reading the last issue of Horn Book Magazine. These two things have together made me aware of how many books there are out now that I'm looking forward to reading. Many of them are sequels (which makes sense, because, given limited time, those are the ones that I automatically know that I want to read, without even needing to see a review). Here is a partial list:

• Bonny Becker (ill. Kady MacDonald Denton): A Bedtime for Bear. Candlewick. Picture Book. I adore Mouse and Bear. See here.
• Angela Johnson (ill. Luke LaMarca): The Day Ray Got Away. Simon. Picture Book. I liked the HB review by Sarah Ellis. "The streets are mean, the heroes are laconic, and the theme is both subversive and (literally) uplifting." I put this one on Baby Bookworm's wishlist.
• Sara Pennypacker (ill. Marla Frazee): Clementine, Friend of the Week. Hyperion. Early Elementary School Fiction. I adore Clementine (see here, here, and here).
• Ingrid Law: Scrumble. Dial. Middle Grade Fiction. This is the sequel to Savvy, reviewed here.  
• Lisa McMann: Gone (Wake series, book 3). Simon Pulse. YA Fiction. This is the conclusion to the Wake series. First two books reviewed here.
• Watt Key: Dirt Road Home. FSG. Young Adult Fiction. A companion novel/spin-off to Alabama Moon, reviewed here.
• Pittacus Lore: I Am Number Four. Harper. Young Adult Fiction. First book of a new teen science fiction series about alien children living hidden on Earth. I'm always looking for good YA science fiction, and Cynthia K. Ritter's HB review convinced me to give this one a look.
• Ken Follett: Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1). Dutton Adult. This is a 20th century epic by the author of Pillars of the Earth, one of my favorite novels for adults. I
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Dear Santa It’s Christmas Eve and this children’s author is reflecting on the year that was, and, of course, thinking about what she’d like to find in her writerly stocking tomorrow morning. I have had the best year of my writing life and for that I am really grateful. The release of Pearl Verses the World in May was the beginning of a wonderful merry go round of nice reviews, excellent

It's been a while since the last edition of my Reviews that Made Me Want the Book feature. Which means that I have tons of reviews to share with you today. It's kind of ironic for me to take the time to list all of these books that I want to read, instead of just sitting down and reading one of them. But I do want to bring a bit of attention to the wonderful reviewers whose words have caught my eye this past month. I hope that some of you will find addition to your "to read" lists, too. Since I have a lot of books to highlight this time, I've grouped them by age range.

Middle Grade

Melissa from Kidliterate reviewed David Whitley's The Midnight Charter this week. This book is actually on my shelves right now, but it came in unrequested, and Melissa is the one who has made me want to give it a look. She says to imagine a "world where everything costs, and I mean everything. It’s the sort of place where you can sell your own child to buy medicine for yourself, or even sell your own emotions for food and lodging." She concludes: "THE MIDNIGHT CHARTER does what all good speculative fiction does: it makes us examine our own world through the lens of another. This is a powerful debut, and one complicated enough to make both young adult and adult readers fall under its spell."

Bill and Karen from Literate Lives know their kid-friendly middle grade fiction. Karen recently reviewed Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road by Kate Klise. Karen says: "The premise of the story is that Seymour (young boy) and Olive (ghost) are living in a large run-down mansion by themselves... After enjoying this book so much, and having a few belly laughs along the way, I am so glad that Dying to Meet You is only the first time we will meet these quirky characters. I think the setting and the characters are ones that my students will want to come back and revisit time and time again as the series continues."

This one's not published in the US, so it may be hard to come by (that's what I get for reading UK-based blogs). But The Book Witch recently reviewed The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric, and caught my eye with "for anyone who might feel the need for something Harry Potterish after HP himself; look no further. And if you’re not, I still recommend reading this mermaid war drama set in Venice." It's set in Venice in 1899. She concludes: "Great adventure story! And don’t be put off by the mermaids. Anything less mermaidish I’ve not come across. It’s not cute; it’s exciting and different." 

At The Reading Zone, Sarah Mulhern reviewed Gary Paulsen's latest book Notes from the Dog. I don't recall reading any of Paulsen's books (the outdoor survival stuff isn't really my thing). But Sarah says: "It is a must-read and a much-needed book. Breast cancer is so prevalent these days, yet there is very little of it in middle grade literature. When it is mentioned, it’s all-too-often in a “girl” book. Paulsen takes a decidedly female topic, which affects the entire family, and presents in it a book that will appeal to both genders... But don’t think this is a depressing book because it is about cancer. It’s also a funny book that will have you laughing at loud."

And sometimes a review makes me want to re-read a whole series of books. Darla from Books & Other Thoughts reminded me about Phyllis Whitney's juvenile mysteries with her recent review of Mystery of the Green Cat (which I don't think I ever read). Remembering this book, Darla says: "I found myself thinking about a mystery I'd read when I was ten or eleven that was set in San Francisco, and how it had such an evocative setting that things seemed familiar to me when I finally got to visit it in person, many years later." And really, any book that evokes a setting that strongly, and is a mystery to boot, is worth reading.

I always enjoy Charlotte's Timeslip Tuesday posts at Charlotte's Library. Last month she caught my attention with a review of The Battle for Duncragglin, by Andrew H. Vanderwal. Charlotte says: "I would have pounced on this as a child--time travel to medieval Scotland!--and, in fact, I was rather eager to read it as an adult... This is the sort of timeslip where the past provides a colorful theatre for action and adventure. It is more a book for the battle-lover, whose heart races when the arrows start to fly, than it is for the romantic daydreamer (ie me), who likes best the timeslip stories that focus on character and intricate world building."

Young Adult

Liz Burns from A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy is one of my most trusted sources of book reviews. She recently reviewed a book that I had had sitting on my nightstand for a couple of months, and inspired me to read it immediately. The book in question is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, about two teens from very different backgrounds who fall in love. Liz said: "This is an AMAZING romance. And H.O.T. There is heat, it is steamy, it is awesome... And yes...it's one of my favorite books of the year." She also noted that she had moved the book up in her own list because she was looking for books about people of color, and one of the teens is Mexican (see Alex, on the cover). This all sounded reasonable to me, and I ended up reading it in one sitting, and enjoying it tremendously. Review to follow, when I get a bit more caught up.

Liz also recently reviewed The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda. This book, about a modern-day British girl raised to be a Knight Templar, would probably not have caught my eye based on the description and cover alone. But Liz said: "So, in sum, my type of fun reading: strong female character, action, history, supernatural elements, fights, a little romance, angst, unanswered questions, devils, angels, vampires." So OK, it sounds worth a look. 

Similarly, Abby (the) Librarian caught my attention by raving about a book that wouldn't have ordinarily caught my eye. She reviewed As You Wish by Jackson Pearce, about a girl who falls for the genie who is going to disappear as soon as he's granted her three wishes. Abby said: "I was just whisked into the story from the very start. Jackson Pearce's writing is funny and snappy and I just didn't want to put the book down. Pearce creates characters you love to love. Viola's got a problem that most kids have probably dealt with at some point in their lives - something changes and BAM! you have no idea where you fit in with the world."

Sometimes a book is on my radar anyway, but I don't officially add it to my list until someone I trust gives it the thumbs up. That's the case with Scott Westerfeld's upcoming title Leviathan. Tasha Saecker reviewed it last month at Kids Lit. She said "Gorgeously imagined and written with a flair for battle and a sense of wonder, this book is a winner.  The pacing is fast, the action whirling, and the history deftly placed so that even teens and youth unaware of World War I’s basic timeline will understand the implications and importance of what they are witnessing in this alternate history."

How could I resist a review that starts: "Been looking for a mystery starring a grade 9 nerdy guy / wannabe P.I. who is pretty clueless with the ladies, loves cooking class and who is crazy enough to start investigating some of the coolest kids in school? Look no further than Susan Juby's Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance and Cookery." Read the rest of the review, from Shelf Elf, at Guys Lit Wire.

Adult

Another of my most trusted sources for book recommendations is Lenore from Presenting Lenore. Lenore recently highlighted an upcoming adult title that sounds intriguing: The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault. Here's a bit from the publisher's description: "The dusty files of a venerable dictionary publisher . . . a hidden cache of coded clues . . . a story written by a phantom author . . . an unsolved murder in a gritty urban park–all collide memorably in Emily Arsenault’s magnificent debut, at once a teasing literary puzzle, an ingenious suspense novel, and an exploration of definitions: of words, of who we are, and of the stories we choose to define us."

Sometimes a tagline does the trick, if it comes from the right person. Angie from Angieville recently reviewed Soulless by Gail Carriger. She said that it's "A novel of vampires, werewolves, and parasols." It's a Victorian romance novel set in a world where supernatural beings are "out and about and accepted in society". Angie says: "Fun, fun, fun. That is what this book is. I found myself completely won over by Alexia. And Lord Maccon. They're just so very thrown together and they are just so very much fun to be with. It was nice to read about a relationship full of tension and romance, but without an interfering third party or one party who persists in being intolerably stupid or thick about things."

And that's it for today. But I'm certain that there will be more reviews that make me want to read the book in the near future. Happy reading, all!

Welcome to the latest edition of my recurring Reviews that Made Me Want to Read the Book feature (not a catchy name, but sufficiently descriptive).

Tanita Davis from Finding Wonderland caught my attention by reviewing a book I hadn't seen before in parallel with one of my favorite recent novels. After discussing Julie Bertagna's Exodus, Tanita observed: "Apparently, Glasgow is a good city in which to set a dystopian end-of-days kind of story. Catherine Forde's Tug of War is a MG title which hearkens back to WWII, when refugee children were sent away from large cities, often with only a label around their necks, identifying them by name." I skimmed the rest, because I didn't want any spoilers, but this one is now high on my list. And I love the new term that Tanita coined, Glaswegian Dystopia.

Karen / Euro Crime from Teenage Fiction for All Ages did the same thing that Tanita did - caught my attention through drawing a parallel between a book that I'd read and a book that I hadn't read. Specifically, she wrote about two dystopias in which people over the age of 14 are in trouble. The first is Michael Grant's Gone (reviewed here), and the second is Charlie Higson's The Enemy (due out in September). According to the publisher's description: The Enemy "is set in an eerie, modern-day London after a mystery illness attacks everyone over the age of fourteen. Those afflicted either die or become so crazed by disease they are little more than wild animals. Gangs of kids are left to fend for themselves, dodging the zombie adults who remain." Which sounds potentially intriguing. Plus, I like Higson's Young James Bond books (first one reviewed here).

Over at Kidliterate, Melissa reviewed The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. Honestly, it's a great title - that alone might be sufficient. But Melissa said: "... what I’m looking for is something different, something clever, something daring. This is why THE DEMON’S LEXICON works for me. It’s more of a family drama, where a mother driven mad keeps all the family secrets, and brothers Nick and Alan divide the meager scraps of her affection as they seek to protect her. They live in a darker reality than ours, where magicians use demons to work their magic, and these magicians have been pursuing their family since their father’s death." Intriguing... [Note: The Spectacle happens to be having a contest to win a copy of this book. Enter by July 20th.]

Melissa also piqued my interest with her very short description of a book by Andy Briggs, Hero.com: Rise of the Heroes. She say: "It is about kids who figure out how to download superpowers on the internet." Melissa states that this description is all that's necessary "to make this book walk out of your store by the pile (or create a huge waiting list for it in your library)". And I believe her. But I do feel compelled to check it out for myself.

I'm not generally much of a book cover person. However, I do find the cover of Laurie Halse Anderson's new picture book, The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School, irresistible. Kristine reviewed it at Best Book I Have Not Read, saying "I think kids (especially kindergartners and first graders) will find The Hair of Zoe very funny. It would be a good first week of school book when some students are apprehensive about their teacher." I'd like to give it a look.

Shelf Elf drew me in from the very first words of this review: "Spooky and summer go so well together, don’t you think? If you’re in the mood for a thriller to sink into while lounging on the dock, I can’t think of a better recommendation than Tim Wynne Jones’ latest, The Uninvited. Sure to spook your socks off, the story captivates in true Tim Wynne Jones style." I agree about summer and spooky books, so this one is going on my list. I'm also embarrassed to admit that I haven't read any of Tim Wynne-Jones' books yet, so this would be a good place to start.

Welcome to the latest edition of my recurring Reviews that Made Me Want the Book feature. The name, while not catchy, should be self-explanatory. And clearly I should do these posts more often, because I have a mammoth 16 titles to talk about today.

First up, two teaser posts from Liz Burns at A Chair, A Fireplace, and Tea Cozy caught my eye. Liz, after all, is my Oprah (see this post at My Friend Amy for an explanation), so I take her recommendations seriously, even when she doesn't give a lot of detail. About Libba Bray's Going Bovine (due out in September), Liz said: "Dig your ARC out from BEA. Put it on your "must get" list for ALA. Add it to your orders for when it gets published in September. Yes, it is that good." She also talked about an upcoming dystopian title by Pam Bachorz called Candor. And really, dystopian fiction with Liz's seal of approval - that's all I need to know. I've already requested that one.

Another dystopian sort of title, apparently, is James Dashner's The Maze Runner, reviewed by Kiera Parrott at Library Voice. Kiera says: "I heard this book described as “Lord of the Flies meets The Hunger Games.”  Sweet Jimminy! That pretty much bumped the ARC right on up to the top of my to-be-read pile.  After plowing through the 374 page sci-fi/adventure/thriller in less than two days, I was not disappointed." I only skimmed the rest, because it sounded like a book that shouldn't be spoiled. This one is due out in October, and I'll be waiting.

I also like mysteries, and I'm frequently influenced by seeing new titles from authors that I've enjoyed before. So when Patti from Oops... Wrong Cookie reviewed Peter Abrahams' newest YA mystery, Reality Check, she didn't have to work very hard to convince me. (See my reviews of Down the Rabbit Hole and Behind the Curtain.) She concluded: "It makes for really thrilling page-turning reading. I love it when I come across a well written book for older teen boys." She also specifically mentioned the non-stock characters in the book. So I'll keep an eye out.

I'll accept gushing as a reason to read a book, if it's gushing by someone I rely upon. So when Franki Sibberson said: "UMBRELLA SUMMER was a wonderful read. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! Lisa Graff has created another great middle grade novel", well, that was good enough for me. 

The truth is that Jenny Han's book The Summer I Turned Pretty was already on my radar because I flat out adored her previous book, Shug. But then Pam Coughlan reviewed it at MotherReader, comparing it to other perfect summer books like The Penderwicks and Cicada Summer, and saying "I felt a particular connection to the story, having spent my childhood years at the New Jersey shore for weeks at a time." And Tasha Saecker reviewed it at Kids Lit, saying "I grew up in a resort area where I was one of the few kids who lived there year round.  As someone who has deeply experienced the seasonal community, this book captures it down to its very core." So OK, OK.

100 Scope Notes gets my attention on a regular basis by coming up with the most creative reviews around. For Dinotrux, by Chris Gall, Travis did a courthouse scene (like reading a play), in which Mr. Scope Notes represents the young readers who are going to find the book "criminally appealing". His opening argument: "Dinotrux by Chris Gall (Dear Fish, There’s Nothing to Do on Mars) is so appealing to children, especially boys, that it constitutes an infringement on free will. Children will want to read this book. The premise that hybrid dinosaur/trucks used to rule the earth ignites curiosity, while the brief, expressive text all but demands repeat reading." Sounds hard to resist, doesn't it?

Travis also did a Toon Review of The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman. Those are a bit harder to quote, but always fun. The gist seems to be that Travis calls in his crack team of reviewers to talk about the book, but they are interrupted by a dunderhead who is only interested in the location of the bar code on the book. But what caught my eye, really, was the remark: "it's one of the best looking picture books I've seen in '09", following a Mysterious Benedict Society comparison. I'm still not sure exactly what's going on, but I'm intrigued.  

I'm putting Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me on my list because of the double endorsement of Betsy Bird (who reviewed it at Fuse #8 and put it on her Newbery predictions list already) and Travis from Scope Notes (hmm... three recommendations from one source. Perhaps Travis is my Oprah). Travis said: "A combination of science fiction and realistic fiction, this unique, well-crafted, and mysterious book will likely grace as many Best of ‘09 lists as you can get your hands on, including mine." And it has time travel!

Melissa Wiley caught my attention with her recent review of the picture book Let's Do Nothing, by Tony Fucile. She said "I love it when a book actually makes me giggle out loud. Frankie’s expressions are priceless, especially when he’s being a giant redwood or the Empire State Building. Writer/illustrator Tony Fucile has a gift for visual punchline". But really, the "actually makes me giggle out loud" from Melissa was enough for me.

Another recommendation labeled giggle-worthy comes from Amanda at A Patchwork of Books. Amanda reviewed Sloppy Joe by Dave Keane, saying "How cute is this book?! I really adored the character of Joe and all his messiness, wanting only to hug and squeeze him when he gave being neat a go. The illustrations are great and the plot funny and definitely giggle-worthy!"

And one more title that evoked laughter out loud: A Book by Mordicai Gerstein, as reviewed by Tasha Saecker at Kids Lit. "Deeee-lightful!  I found this book to be fresh, clever, surprising, and great fun... I guffawed out loud. Yes, guffawed. Truly. Children who know how books are supposed to work (which means almost everyone) will get the joke right away and love laughing along." (Incidentally, mentions of laughter in a book don't always make it catch my eye - the review has to be from someone I trust, and give me information about why the book is funny).

I'm not as tuned in to book covers as a lot of people are, but even my attention was caught by the cover of Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez. So when Abby (the) Librarian reviewed it during the 48 Hour Book Challenge, I checked in. Abby said: "I'd consider this an essential purchase that'll appeal to middle-grade girls, Latina or otherwise. I wouldn't hesitate to hand it to any fan of Just as Long as We're Together, Are You There, God, It's Me Margaret, Shug, and others of that girly-coming-of-age ilk. Um, and the cover has really cute socks!" Can't argue with that!

And, for a book with a similar title to the previous book, but a very different tone, Camille Powell from BookMoot piqued my interest when she reviewed Radiant Girl, a historical novel by Andrea White about the Chernobyl Disaster. It sounds like a bit of a difficult read, emotionally, but Camille said: "I liked this book so much. I admit I found myself mentally shouting, "Look out! Get out of there!" to the characters. This is a very moving story."

Abby (the) Librarian also reviewed Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. I tend to keep an eye out for books that have protagonists on the autism spectrum. Abby compared this one to several others, and said: "While I enjoyed all the above mentioned books*, none of them put me into the heart of someone with autism quite like Anything But Typical. Jason knows he's different - he processes things differently, he thinks differently, he sees the world differently." She also said that people who liked The London Eye Mystery (which I loved) should pick this one up. And so I will.  

I only highlighted one adult title this time around. I first saw a review by Charles L. P. Silet for John Hart's new book, The Last Child, in Mystery Scene Magazine. The very next day, Augusta Scattergood talked about the book, which she ordered immediately upon release. This dual recommendation caused me to formally add the book to my list. It's about a 13-year-old boy searching for his kidnapped sister, because his mother is a slave to her addictions, and his father isn't around. Sounds like a title for Kelly Herold's Crossover blog, doesn't it?

I had better get reading! Hope some of you find books that catch your eye from the above titles.

Welcome to the latest edition of my recurring "reviews that made me want to read the book" feature. This month, a whole slew of titles have caught my eye.

Lest anyone wonders if including quotes in reviews is helpful, Tasha Saecker made me want to read Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy and Polly Dunbar by including this quote in her review: "Little Mabel blew a bubble, and it caused a lot of trouble… Such a lot of bubble trouble in a bibble-bobble way." Doesn't that sound fun? Perhaps paired with Bubble Homes and Fish Farts.

A very different picture book that caught my eye is Roadworks by Sally Sutton, reviewed by Susan Stephenson at The Book Chook. Susan says: "I am predicting obsession status for this great new picture book from Walker Books Australia (2008). Roadworks was written by New Zealand author, Sally Sutton. I don't know her books, but I'll certainly be on the look-out for them. She enters into the mind of a young action fan, and gives him great active verbs and noises". 

Amanda from A Patchwork of Books caught my eye with her review of I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll. She begins: "Oh how in love I fell with this charming book. I giggled, I chuckled, I stared in awe at the pictures, and when I closed the last page, I happily started at the beginning again. I think I may have found my favorite so far this year."

Another pick from Amanda that sounds intriguing is Wild Things by Clay Carmichael. Amanda says: "Every single one of you should read this book. Really, young or old, I want you to read this and then tell me how far in love with the characters you fell. I was enchanted with the story, loving the characters, and so sad when it ended...yet happy. A beautifully written book, screaming out for readers." 

It's more a discussion (and link to an article from the Guardian Book Blog), but this post at Charlotte's Library made me want to read John Christopher's out-of-print dystopian YA novel The Death of Grass. According to Charlotte, (Guardian writer) "Sam Jordison, who did read it as a child, re-visits it, and finds it much, much scarier now that he's a grown up." This one I went ahead and requested from the library.

Sometimes what draws me to a book is the reviewer's comparison of a new book to a book that I already know and love. Colleen Mondor did this recently, comparing the 2006 title Sand Dollar Summer, by Kimberly K. Jones, to Phyllis Green's Nantucket Summer, one of my adolescent favorites. Colleen said: "Sand Dollar Summer is just one of those beach reads that gives you the true taste of the coast, all the crazy touristy bits of it as well as the night walks near the water, the sand castles and how the salt and sand will invade every aspect of your life there - in both good and bad ways. I suppose you could say the book is dramatic (it certainly has its moments) but for me it was Lise and Free running on the beach or wandering into town to hit the library that brought back the images of Nantucket Summer."

And sometimes (often, I suppose), I'm interested in a book just because it's by an author whose work I have previously enjoyed. Thus when I was pleased to learn recently from Omnivoracious that there's now a title and a publication date (September) for Dan Brown's next book about Robert Langdon. I realize that Brown's books have been ludicrously over-hyped, but I first read and appreciated Angels and Demons before all of that. And I expect that I'll enjoy The Lost Symbol, too.

Similarly, when I'm looking for a plot driven, action-filled book, I enjoy the adult novels of James Rollins. So I was pleased when I saw Tasses' review at Reading Rumpus of Rollins' first book for kids: Jake Ransom and the Skull's Shadow. She calls it "... jam-packed with Mayan history, dinosaurs, alchemy, Vikings, Roman soldiers… along with Jake Ransom (of course) and his sister Kady ...a high-adventure, fantasy-fused ride with bits of history thrown in for good measure."

And of course, the sequel to a book that I liked is usually automatically on my list. One that I'm especially looking forward to is Hunger, the sequel to Gone by Michael Grant. Kristine from Best Book I Have Not Read was lucky enough to get her hands on an advance copy of this May release. Kristine says: " It is a great sequel to Gone, picking up where the first book left off ... The first chapter pulled me in immediately (and made my stomach turn, but I am pretty wimpy) and made me want to read without stop, just as the first book did."

Of course, other times I'm interested because a book falls into one my favorite niches. Melissa from Book Nut caught my eye recently with her review of The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel. She said: "I didn't expect to be unable to put the book down. I was thoroughly captivated by the world that Sensel built -- part fantasy, part dystopian -- and the story which, although it's a coming-of-age/adventure story, took me to places and in directions that I never quite expected." Really, that's enough for me.

Still other times, it's the opposite. The reviewer talks me into a book that might not sound like my sort of thing off the top of my head, through the depth of the reviewer's passion for a title. This is the case with Laura Koenig's review of Chameleon by Charles R. Smith, Jr at Bib-Laura-graphy. Laura begins: "Hey you! Yeah, you sitting there reading this blog. Have you read Chameleon yet? No? Do me a favor - head down to your local indie bookstore or your branch library. Yes, right now. Come back when you’ve got a copy of this book." And then she explains why she thinks that the book is important.

Another premise-driven pick comes to me from my book selection psychic twin Lenore of Presenting Lenore. In a recent Waiting on Wednesday post, Lenore mentioned Amy Huntley's The Everafter, saying: "I am always fascinated by novels set in the afterlife. Though this one looks something straight out of my nightmares." I'm hooked on these books, too.

Lenore and I are also fans of time-travel stories (as is Charlotte). Another of Lenore's Waiting on Wednesday titles is upcoming title (September) The Long Wait for Tomorrow. From the Random House catalog description: "Joaquin Dorfman is back with another smart novel that pushes the envelope of literary fiction, examining identity, high school roles, and even the high-blown concept of destiny through a cool science-fiction lens. What if, in a Freaky Friday moment, a wise and humble 40-year-old man woke one morning to find himself transported back in time, into his body more than 20 years before, when he was the popular, entitled, and arrogant quarterback of the school football team? Could the man do anything to stop a tragedy initiated by the cruel actions of the boy, or is fate too strong a force? " 

The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner sounds appealing, too. A. Fortis recently reviewed it at Finding Wonderland, saying "The stakes just keep getting higher in this suspenseful page-turner. Author Brian Falkner has created truly deep, interesting, textured characters that are easy to care about, and I enjoyed reading a contemporary sci-fi novel set in New Zealand, too ... It's got everything—lab experiments gone awry, deadly fog, coded messages, yellow submarines, and a nice twist towards the end. A great one for fans of dystopian novels and suspenseful adventures." How could I resist?

I have to admit that I'm oddly intrigued by Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Becky from Becky's Book Reviews explains: "As you can see, this isn't your traditional Pride and Prejudice. And Elizabeth and Jane aren't your traditional heroines. Meet the Bennet family. "The business of Mr. Bennet's life was to keep his daughters alive. The business of Mrs. Bennet's was to get them married." Why is life so dangerous? Zombies, of course!" The cover is dreadful, the premise is ridiculous. And yet... I can imagine reading it one of these days.

I hope that some of these titles will catch your eye, too. Happy reading!

© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the latest edition of my recurring reviews that made me want to read the book feature. This one is relatively brief, with six new reviews that have recently captured my interest.

Freefall by Anna Levine won a 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award honor for teen books. But what made me want to read it was Abby (the) Librarian's review. Abby said "It has a great sense of place" and "I think this is a great book for teens who like to learn about other cultures and who like books that inspire them to think. This would make an excellent book discussion book and it'd make a great conversation starter. It has a premise and characters that will keep the attention of teens and it may inspire them to keep reading and learning about Israel."

I'd been hearing about Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes books for a while, but Stephanie Ford from The Children's Literature Book Club made me want to read them. She said: "Hi, I'm Stephanie Ford, I'm an adult, and I'm addicted to Sammy Keyes mysteries. There, I said it. There are so many middle grade fiction series unraveling out there, but this is the one I'm most addicted too." She recently reviewed Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash, and convinced me to check out the series.

Tasha Saecker from Kids Lit recently reviewed a picture book that sounds fun: Tough Chicks by Cece Meng, illustrated by Melissa Suber. She said: "Read this one last in a story time, which is the greatest compliment a book can ever have!  This shouldn't be saved for those chicken story times, make sure you use it as one of those rainy-day books that you pull out to brighten things up."

Another picture book that sounds appealing is Where does Thursday go?, written by Janeen Brian and illustrated by Stephen Michael King. Susan Stephenson, The Book Chook, reviewed it, saying: "This delightful story has so much kid appeal. Children will love the sounds in the landscape like the "oogle gurgle" of the river; wondering what Thursday looks like; following Humbug and Splodge on their quest; and joining in with the refrain: "'Is that you, Thursday,' called Splodge. But there was no reply." It seems to be out of print, but it's one I'll keep an eye out for.

Amanda from A Patchwork of Books reviewed The Black Book of Secrets by F. E. Higgins. She said: "F.E. Higgins has created a dark world of intrigue for the middle grade reading sector with The Black Book of Secrets. Fans of Lemony Snicket and his "Unfortunate Events" series and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter", will be fully satisfied with the mystery, spookiness, and unanswered questions that fill the pages of this book. Plus the edges of the pages are black and that's just plain cool."

Another review that caught my attention was BeckyB's brief In the Pages review of Allison Winn Scotch's Time of My Life. She said: "I got about 3 pages in and from then on I couldn't put it down. I REALLY enjoyed this book - the whole concept was appealing to me - going back in time to redo your life - what would you change and what would you leave the same??" This is a premise that's always intrigued me, too, and I intend to give it a look. 

Happy reading!

Welcome to the first 2009 edition of my Review that Made Me Want the Book feature.

Mrs. Kochel at the OMS Book Blog reviewed Snatched, the first book in the Bloodwater Mysteries series by Pete Hautman and Mary Logue. She said of this mystery: "I enjoyed the humorous relationship between them and the clues and strategies they use to solve the mystery. I definitely recommend it to middle schoolers who like mysteries. And if you like it, read Doppelganger and Skullduggery, the two sequels."

Ms. Yingling is another of my most trusted review sources. She recently reviewed Fouling Out by Gregory Walters, saying: "Fouling Out is highly readable, fast-paced, and very matter-of-fact about everything-- no hand-wringing in sight. Since it is a paperback, I didn't have to read it, but I got sucked in by the first few pages and had to keep going!" She also said that it's a good realistic problem novel for boys, which sounds like something worth checking out.

Ms. Yingling also convinced me to read a book that I already have on my shelf, David Gilman's The Devil's Breath. She said: "Far and away the best book I read over break is David Gilman's The Devil's Breath. It was absolutely spellbinding, AND is the first in a series-- The Danger Zone."

Sarah Miller knows her historical fiction. She reviewed an upcoming title, Winnie's War by Jenny Moss. "What's better than a story about the 1918 influenza pandemic? A story about the 1918 influenza pandemic with a tie-in to the Galveston hurricane of 1900 to make my little ambulance-chasing heart go pitter-pat." And I have to say that I concur.

The Magic of Ink reports in a Waiting on Wednesday post that Starclimber, the third book in Kenneth Oppel's Airborn series, will be released in February. I reviewed Airborn here, and look forward to this third book.

I have to admit that the cover of Daniel Ehrenhaft's Dirty Laundry really doesn't grab me. But The Compulsive Reader said that it's a mystery set in a boarding school, and that "Dirty Laundry is a nicely engaging combination of wit, mystery, and a dash of romance written in the form of alternating narratives ... overall Dirty Laundry is a hilarious and entertaining read reminiscent of the works of John Green and Jaclyn Moriarty's The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie, and is easy for the reluctant teen reader to get immersed into." 

Franki reviewed a book at A Year of Reading that I think will make a real contribution: Sassy: Little Sister is Not My Name by Sharon Draper. "I have written before about the lack of books for transitional readers--especially series books-that feature African American characters and continue to be stunned by the statistics on what is being published.  So I was thrilled to see this new series by Draper and I was even more excited when I read this first book."

I look forward to all of these books, and I hope that some of you find food for thought in these review.

Welcome to the latest edition of my reviews that made me want to read the book feature. I've stored up quite a few promising titles over the last few weeks:

Bill from Literate Lives recently reviewed From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between, by Elizabeth Atkinson. He had me at: "Alice Bunt is a tom boy who moves from the city life of Boston, to the suburbs and a big fancy mansion of a house built on a cul de sac that use to have trees and other natural things, called Hemlock Trail. She has a cat named Yaz after her favorite Red Sox player, and a dog named Einstein, supposedly the smartest pug puppy ever." 

And Bill had a good couple of weeks, because he also caught my attention with his review of Itch: A Novel, saying "this is a fabulous book! Even though it deals with such a serious topic, author Michelle D. Kwasney manages to mix in some humor through the grandparent characters." He also called it a favorite of the year, and inspired me to want to check it out.

It's actually pretty rare for a picture book review to catch my attention enough to make me covet it. But when Franki from A Year of Reading says: "WHAT A BOOK! If you are looking for a great, new Christmas story that will last generations, this one is just that. A great gift book for any child (or adult) you know", well, that catches my eye. So I'm looking forward to Drummer Boy by Loren Long.

It takes a real knack for someone to make me want to read a book even before they tell me anything about it. But Sarah Miller pulled it off in her review of Kathy Koja's Headlong. She said: "You know, sometimes I don't want to actually review a book. Sometimes I just want to snap the bugger shut and say, very satisfied, "Golly, that was good!"" I feel like that sometimes, and I trust Sarah's judgement, so I didn't even read the rest of the review (but you can find it here).

Another very brief recommendation from Sarah also caught my eye: That Book Woman, by Heather Henson (another picture book review!). "If you are a book lover (and we both know you are) just open up your emotional fuse box and let this darling have its way with you. It is spare and sweet and perfect, and that is all you need to know."

The Book Muncher just reviewed an intriguing upcoming title called Jo-Jo and the Fiendish Lot, by Andrew Auseon. Here are the bits that drew me in: "I am pleased to say that my high expectations for this novel were exceeded. I immensely enjoyed Auseon’s unique version of death and the afterlife because it was so creative and entirely unlike any other book I’ve read on the same topic... Readers who liked Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin will also enjoy this fabulous novel; I actually liked Jo-Jo’s story better than Elsewhere which is saying something because I loved Elsewhere."

Laini Taylor is deeply immersed in Cybils fantasy and science fiction reading. She recently highlighted  a book that she was disappointed never to have heard of before, commenting on the arbitrariness of buzz. The book is The Gypsy Crown by Kate Forsyth. Laini called it: "My favorite kind of story: fast-paced, makes the page disappear as you fall right into the flow of events, and all the while, painlessly (not just." I also borrowed this cover image (which she took) from Laini's review.

Over at Welcome to my Tweendom, Stacy Dillon reviewed first two The Sisters 8 books, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted: Annie's Adventures and Durinda's Dangers. They're about a set of octuplet sisters who have special powers, and solve mysteries. Stacy says: "Part Snickett, part Dahl with a little dash of Gorey, author Lauren Baratz-Logsted along with Greg Logsted and Jackie Logsted have created a series that is perfect for the younger tween set."

Over at Charlotte's Library, Charlotte discussed a new series that she says fills the gap between easy readers and Harry Potter books, "Humpty Dumpty, Hardboiled Detective, by the team of Nate Evans, Paul Hindman, and Vince Evens (Sourcebooks Jaberwocky, 2008). Think Guy Noir (from Garrison Keillor's radio show) as a hardboiled egg detective, in a warped fairy tale New Yolk city, with copious black and white drawings featuring lots of action." The first two books are The Case of the Fiendish Flapjack Flop and The Mystery of Merlin and the Gruesome Ghost.

BooksForKidsBlog reviewed Daniel Kirk's Library Mouse. And honestly, a picture book called Library Mouse? What is not to love? GTC says "Lucky Sam is a library mouse, with a home in a hole in the wall behind the Children's Reference section of the library. Naturally, Sam is quite well read". Sam becomes and author, and encourages kids to become authors, too. I think I'd pair it with Bats in the Library (which I will review as soon as I get the chance).

I've seen The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett around, but I was never interested to read it until I saw Dewey's review at The Hidden Side of a Leaf. She says: "As you may know, I give away all the books I read unless they belong to someone else... But I have to keep The Uncommon Reader. I know I’ll want to read it again, and fairly soon. Keeping a book is really the highest praise I give; I have moved books from one house to another too many times to want more than my TBR books and my husband’s and son’s books in the house. I think every one of you would love this story, and I recommend it to you all."

And that is quite enough wish list books for today. Many thanks to all of the reviewers who help to keep me in excellent books.

Welcome to the latest edition of my reviews that made me want to read the book feature.

This one isn't a review exactly, but my brother Dana recommended a title for me, and I want to add it to my list: Running With the Demon, by Terry Brooks. I did like this from the editorial review at Amazon: "The book's matter-of-fact take on the uncanny is a bit like The X-Files."

Sarah Weinman (whose crime fiction blog I read) recently had a column on historical mysteries in the Barnes and Noble Review. She inspired me to want to read Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Ashton novels, starting with And Only to Deceive. Sarah said: "Tasha Alexander's Victorian England has a different feel altogether, perhaps because the sparkle and wit seem to owe more to Regency romance queen Georgette Heyer than to mystery's classic writers." And that was good enough for me.

Hannah Trierweiler had a post at Kid Lit Kit in which she says: "I adore the early reader series by Katie Speck, illustrated by Paul Ratz de Taygos, and starring Maybelle the cockroach. The first book was Maybelle in the Soup; the most recent is Maybelle Goes to Tea." Since I'll be on the easy reader committee for the Cybils, I'm scooping up as many promising titles in this area as I can, and I've added this one to my list.

And for another new series aimed at younger elementary school kids, I'm interested in the Phineas L. MacGuire series by Francis O'Roark Dowell, as introduced by Bill at Literate Lives. Bill reviewed the third book, Phineas L. MacGuire ... Blasts Off!, concluding "I'm very excited to have a series for the younger readers that features a boy, and I'm even more excited that it's written by a quality author like Francis O'Roark Dowell. ... and if you are looking for a "boy"series, pick up Phineas L. MacGuire, you won't be disappointed there either." Of course, the fact that he compared it to Clementine helped, too.

Sara from Sara's Hold Shelf recently reviewed (on September 9th, I wasn't able to direct link to the review for some reason) a title that was already vaguely on my radar: Meg Cabot's Airhead. Mostly Sara reminded me that I like Meg Cabot's books, when she said: "Like all of Cabot's novels, Airhead is funny and fluffy, but it is also somehow a bit darker. The situation that Em finds herself in is a bit more complicated than, say, finding out that you're the heir to the throne of a small European principality. The stakes in this case are just a little bit higher, and readers may find themselves thinking about profound questions about the meaning of life (and then, a few pages later, laughing out loud..."

Becky reviewed Marsha Altman's The Darcys & the Bingleys at Becky's Book Reviews. Becky said of this Pride and Prejudice sequel "the book is good and well worth reading. The book is true to the original as far as characters and social conventions." And I'm intrigued enough to want to give it a look. It sounds a bit like another P&P follow-on series that I like, Carrie Bebris' Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries, starting with Pride and Prescience.

And that's all for this week! So many great books, so little time...

Welcome to the latest installment of my reviews that made me want to read the book feature, in which I highlight that well-written reviews that draw my attention towards intriguing books.

TadMack reviewed The Other Sister, by S. T. Underdahl, at Readers' Rants. The book is about a girl who, as a teenager, learns that she has an older sister who was put up for adoption when their parents were very young. TadMack says: "S.T. Underdahl records the realistic and turbulent changes of a family stretching to include one more. It's her own story, in more ways than one." Something about the premise, and the fact that TadMack liked it, caught my eye.

I'm intrigued by the picture book M is for Mischief, written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. Nancy Arruda reviewed it Bees Knees Reads, calling it: "a hilarious read-aloud written in rhyme with a ton of alliteration and word play." She concludes "I like to keep this book handy when I need a pick-me-up good belly laugh. This one is really worth giving to your friend with a Nagging Nora, a Zany Zelda, a Mischievous Martin or .. " Not that any of the children I know are mischievous, of course, but I think it would be a good one to have around.

The BooksForKidsBlog's recent review of The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish by Claudia Mills also caught my eye. It's a dual storyline about a modern-day girl named Amanda whose family is breaking up and a Civil War era farm girl named Polly. GTC says "Claudia Mills carries off a real tour-de-force. Skillfully balancing the dual story lines of Amanda and Polly within the framework of a fifth grade class working toward a performance at the end of its Civil War unit, Claudia Mills reveals Amanda's growing understanding of the meaning of her family's split as much through her journal writing in Polly's voice as through her own experiences."

Kidliterate reviewed an upcoming title (no cover illustration is available yet): Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury. "Scott O’Dell award-winning author Graham Salisbury turns his hand to elementary level humor and absolutely succeeds. This is the first book in a series about a 4th grader named Calvin who lives in Hawaii with his mother and younger sister (his father, an island one hit wonder, now lives in Vegas where he makes his living as a lounge singer)." It sounds fun to me!

Karen from Literate Lives reviewed Dog Gone by Cynthia Chapman Willis. She got my attention when she said: "I realized the book it most reminds me of is Me and the Pumpkin Queen, another book I love. Both of these books deal with a mom who dies, and how the child (in both of these cases, a daughter) learns to grieve and deal with the loss". I loved Me and the Pumpkin Queen, too, and I'm prepared to give this one a look.

Also at Literate Lives, Bill reviewed the first book in Tracy Barrett's new Sherlock Files series: The 100 Year-Old Secret. Here it's mostly the premise that gets me: "The story is based on two main characters, Xena and Xander Holmes, a sister and brother who are distant grandchildren of the famous detective." But Bill plans to add it to his library, and I think that it sounds like a solid mystery.

I've seen references to the Luxe series before, but Jennifer Schultz from the Kiddosphere is the first person to inspire me to want to read these books (The Luxe and Rumors by Anna Godbersen). She says "So....I'm a little crazy about The Luxe series. Picture The Gossip Girls set in late 1890s Manhattan, and you have a pretty good idea of what it's all about." Now, I enjoy the Gossip Girl TV show, and I also tend to like turn of the century society novels. Which makes me suspect that I might like these, at least in certain moods. I think this enough that I'll be interested to give the first book a look when it comes out in paperback next month.

Colleen Mondor's latest YA column is now available at Chasing Ray (after originally appearing at Bookslut). She features several interesting titles, but the one that particularly caught my attention was The Postcard, by Tony Abbott. I've seen this book around, but Colleen's conclusion made the difference for me: "The Postcard is a book I have not heard nearly enough about. It is a classic mystery but has a decidedly modern style. I also give Abbott a lot of credit for getting Florida so right; I know my Sunshine State and clearly so does this author."

The Book Witch got me interested in Oisin McGann's Small-minded Giants by comparing it to Julie Bertagna's Exodus (reviewed here). The book is about a futuristic city called Ash Harbor. The Book Witch says: "This is a well written thriller, combined with a good look at what may be in store for the world if we don’t do something soon. Living in Ash Harbour is not something to aspire to, except that the alternative - of being left on the outside - isn’t very attractive either." But she really had me at "(Ash Harbor is) slightly reminiscent of Julie Bertagna’s Glasgow, except this is in the South Pacific, and it’s very, very cold." Sadly, this book isn't published in the US, but it looks like there are some used copies available.

And that's it for books for this edition. I am also intrigued by an ergonomic backup that Cheryl Rainfield recommended recently. I have no need of another backpack right now, especially after buying the KidLit Conference messenger bag last week, but I'm saving the link.

Welcome to the latest installment of my Review that Made Me Want to Read the Book feature. In a nod to Friday the 13th, I have quite a few spooky books on the list this week.

Children's and YA Titles

Court from Once Upon a Bookshelf intrigued me with the first sentence of her review of The Dream of the Stone by Christina Askounis, an older title, but one that I haven't seen before. Court said: "Let me start with saying that anyone who is a fan of Madeline L’Engle’s Time Quartet ought to read this book." She added, later in the review: "This was quite the engaging book. The characters were all fabulously developed, the plot was exciting, and it took me to places my imagination reveled in. I love good stories where the characters travel to new worlds, when the author can pull off creating a believable world that is so different than ours."

Clearly I am drawn in by reviews that compare new titles to old favorites. So when Sherry started a review of The Gollywhopper Games at Semicolon with: "I thought while reading it that this book was reminiscent of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl or last year’s Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Stewart", she got my attention. She further revealed that author Jody Feldman was inspired to write the book by a 10-year-old boy's quest for something like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And that was enough for me - I didn't even read the rest of the description in detail.

I've enjoyed the audio editions of the first two of Charlie Higson's Young James Bond series (Silverfin and Blood Fever). Therefore, I was pleased to learn from Camille at BookMoot that the third book in the series, Double or Die, is now available. Here's what Camille says about the audio versions of the first two books: "I was thrilled and happy to discover that SilverFin and Blood Fever were compelling and "didn't want to stop" listens for me. Nathaniel Parker (clicked on his website and shouted, "Oh, him! Inspector Lynley!) is an outstanding voice actor who shades each character with a distinct tone and cadence." Like Camille, I liked the second book better than the first, which makes me hopeful for the third.

Sheila Ruth wrote a review at Wands and Worlds during the 48-Hour Book Challenge that hooked me from the first paragraph. She said: "The year is 2047, and Zeyya lives in a tiny, roach-infested apartment with her parents. It's a horrible way to live, and not as nice as their previous home, but it's safer: Quarantine hasn't hit this area yet. Throughout the Greater East Coast Metropolis, people are taken away by the police, leaving only yellow Quarantine tape to indicate that they ever existed. Zeyya has never known anyone to return from Quarantine." The book is In the Company of Whispers, by Sallie Lowenstein. Sheila knows my taste pretty well, and she thinks that I'll like it, which is good enough for me.It won't be out until September.

I'm always on the lookout for engaging books for early readers. So this review of Araminta Spookie 1: My Haunted House at Krystel's Book Blog caught my eye. She said: "A fun fun fun start to the series! Araminta Spookie (isn't that a fantastic name?) lives in a haunted house, where she has a different bedroom for every day of the week, her uncle has a large tower to keep his many bats, and they both agree that their home is perfect." I'm also a fan of author Angie Sage's Magyk series, which made me even more likely to add this to my list.

Charlotte has started a new series at Charlotte's Library called Timeslip Tuesday. She explains: "A timeslip story is simply one in which characters pass from one time to another, either forward or backward, generally without a mechanical device such as a time machine." I do have a weakness for time travel books (although I tend to favor mechanical devices), so this is a feature I'll be sure to follow. Charlotte's first featured title is Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When, by Annette Laing. She says that it "throws three kids back in time from present day Snipesville, Georgia, into World War II England. Hannah, her brother Alex, and their friend Brandon are now war evacuees from London, struggling to figure out what is happening and why they have traveled through time. Then Brandon slips through time again to the England of World War I…and the mystery deepens."

There's no review for this last one, but Doret, TheHappyNappyBookseller, commented on my recent review of Steel Trapp to recommend Andy McNab and Robert Rigby's Traitor and sequels. I've read and enjoyed a couple of McNab's adult titles, but hadn't realized that he wrote young adult spy thrillers, too. My knowledge of his adult titles, and Doret's recommendation, are good enough for me to want to check this one out.

Adult Titles

Leila wrote about the Harry Dresden books at Guys Lit Wire, starting with Storm Front: The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher. "Harry Dresden has the voice of a hard-boiled detective AND he's a magic-user. His allies include Bob, a lecherous spirit housed in a human skull; Karrin Murphy, a super-tough homicide detective; Michael, a Knight of the Cross; a vampire named Thomas; and Ebenezar McCoy, a wizard who lives in Hogs Hollow, Missouri ... The books are smart, hilarious, action-packed and very hard to put down."

Welcome to the latest edition of my reviews that made me want to read the book feature. I'm using this series of posts to keep track of books that catch my eye, and also to highlight the fabulous reviewers who pique my interest by getting to the heart of a book. In response to a suggestion from Aerin, I've made an extra effort to include a few adult titles in the mix (though it should be noted that I don't read very many adult-fiction focused blogs, so this is by no means a comprehensive list). In any event, this has ended up quite the mammoth addition to my wish list. Now if I only had time to read half of these titles...

Children's and YA Titles

Suddenly Supernatural: School Spirit, by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel is actually on my shelf already (I requested it from the Little, Brown catalog). But Betsy Bird moved it up on my list by saying: "to my amazement this book sucks me in instantly. With a rare combination of readability and genuine middle school trials and tribulations, author Elizabeth Cody Kimmel gives a well-placed kick to a genre that deserves a little rejiggering here and a little remastering there. A book I can honestly recommend to any kid looking for some great ghostly fare." How can I resist that? I've added it to my candidate list for the 48 Hour Book Challenge this weekend.

The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir by Cylin and John Busby caught my eye when I saw it in the publisher's catalog (Bloomsbury). It's a memoir about a family that has to go into hiding after the father is the victim of a crime, and survives. I have already requested a copy. But Sarah from The Reading Zone made me want to read it even more when she said: "Yesterday I sat down to read it and finished in one sitting. This is a thrilling YA memoir with huge adult crossover appeal. In this day and age of TV crime dramas, this true life tale of a family nearly destroyed by a brutal shooting will not go unnoticed!"

Longstockings Daphne Grab and Coe Booth recently interviewed Adrienne Maria Vrettos about her new novel Sight. The Longstockings said: "If you’ve ever wished to be psychic, SIGHT will make you think twice! This book is sooo good. It’s beautifully written with great characters and an exciting ending. And it’s a story that will definitely stay with you for a long time." I read the description in the first paragraph and thought "hmm, kind of has a Lois Duncan feel". I loved Duncan's books as a young adult. So when I saw later in the interview that Vrettos was partially inspired to write this book by her love of one of Lois Duncan's titles, well, that was good enough for me. (Incidentally, this is the kind of tidbit that makes me happy to have started this reviews that made me want the book feature in the first place.)

I'm always on the lookout for engaging books for early elementary school readers (in fact, I'll soon be participating in a blog tour on this topic hosted by Gail Gauthier). Bill from Literate Lives recently reviewed the first book in a new series written by Lin Oliver and illustrated by Stephen Gilpin, the Who Shrunk Daniel Funk Series. Daniel Funk is a boy who is able to shrink and re-grow, and has various adventures. Bill said: "Lin Oliver has created the perfect no brainer, can't put it down, laugh out loud read for third grade and up. I can't wait for the next installment...Escape of the Mini Mummy. Another great title." Sounds worth checking out to me.

Ms. Yingling is one of my most trusted sources of book suggestions. She said of Linda Gerber's Death by Bikini, a murder mystery: "Joan Lowery Nixon has always been my go-to author when it comes to mysteries that girls especially like, but this series will certainly circulate even better." I'm a mystery fan in general, and there's a bit of a shortage of detective stories aimed at teen readers, so this one goes on my list. Plus, it's a great cover!

Speaking of mysteries, I very much enjoyed Peter Abrahams' first Echo Falls mystery, Down the Rabbit Hole. I didn't think that the second book, Behind the Curtain, was quite as strong, though I did like it. Now Doret, the HappyNappyBookseller, has convinced me to give the third book, Into the Dark, a look. Doret said: "What makes this book good is how Ingrid figures out the why. What makes this book great is the ending. There is nothing better then someone trying to cover up a murder with a murder. I loved the last few chapters, the action was fast, intense, scary, page turning good." My concern with the second book was that I felt like Abrahams had toned down the action, so I find this reassuring.

Another books with mysterious happenings that caught my recently was Ghost Letters, by Stephen Alter, as reviewed by Lisa Chellman at Under the Covers. Lisa recommends it for fans of Blue Balliett's books. She calls it "a fun ride. Alter works many mail-related tropes—dogs who chase mailmen, carrier pigeons, secret wartime codes—into the plot (though a chain letter disappointingly went nowhere). There’s also a recurring poetry motif that, while not essential to the plot, does not feel out of place either."

I have a weaknesses for stories set in turn of the (20th) century New York. I also have a healthy respect for the opinions of Betsy Bird (aka A Fuse #8 Production), as evidenced by my having included another one of her recommendations above. So when Betsy reviewed Brooklyn Bridge, by Karen Hesse, a novel about the family that invented the stuffed teddy bear, I was intrigued. Betsy said: "This is perhaps one of Hesse’s most accomplished novels. It’s historical fiction that uses the past as a point of reference rather than as the point of the novel. Hesse is weaving together so many seemingly disparate elements and living breathing characters that the end result feels more like a film, a theatrical production, or a scene on a city street than a book for kids." However, it won't be available until September.

And, for another book with an intriguing historical setting, Tasha Saecker from Kids Lit reviewed Sally Gardner's second novel (after I, Coriander), The Red Necklace. Tasha said: "This book had me immediately upon reading the first page. The writing was flowery but intense, filled with images but equally gripping and fast paced. It was the tone of the French Revolution itself... This is a glory of a book. Highly recommended and one of the best of the year." Since I liked Gardner's first book, and since Tasha gave it such a strong endorsement, I'm ready to check it out.

Then, in describing more of an alternative historical novel, Colleen Mondor piqued my interest in The Explosionist, by Jenny Davidson. Colleen said: "Davidson’s novel is by far one of the smartest YA titles I have read in quite some time and I would love to see it in on high school reading lists. I guarantee it would spark the sort of discussion that is rarely found when talking about Shakespeare (as impressive as the Bard can be). This is a book that demands deep thinking of its readers but promises suspense, intrigue and surprises at every turn." 

Adult Titles (most with crossover appeal)

Cornelia Read's books have been on my radar since her first Madeline Dare mystery, A Field of Darkness, came out. Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists drew the second book in the series, The Crazy School, to my attention, saying: "This bitterly funny mystery by Edgar Award-nominated author Cornelia Read has a great cast of teen characters, but the best voice is that of jaded, wickedly witty slacker sleuth Madeline Dare herself. This is one seriously dark comedic nailbiter." Of course, I'll have to read A Field of Darkness first, because I am compulsive about reading series books in order.

Little Willow is a big fan of Thomas E. Sniegoski (and an especially big fan of his sometime co-author, Christopher Golden). She's been talking up both Sniegoski and Golden's books for quite some time, and they are on my radar. But her overview of Sniegoski's new urban fantasy A Kiss Before the Apocalypse made it onto the list of serious contenders. "Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts. Unusual, to say the least - for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man - he's an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He's found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he's good at - and love. Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past."

Kelly Herold and I are kindred spirit readers, especially when it comes to adult titles. So when she recently wrote at Big A little a about Tana French's Edgar award winning (for best first novel by an American author) novel In the Woods, I paid attention. Kelly said: "Dark fairy tale themes and the unreliability of childhood memories haunt Ryan (the narrator, a detective) and In the Woods, making this a mystery teens will love. The detectives are young and live young lives--solving cases together while eating and drinking well into the night. Ryan's partner, Maddox, is a kickass heroine--smart, hardworking, and tough." Clearly, this is a title that I need to read. And in fact, I have already downloaded it from Audible, and started listening to it this morning.

Sometimes the mere knowledge that a book exists is enough of a reason to want it - you don't even need to know the title, or hear even a hint as to what it's about. And so it is with me in regards to Katherine Neville's sequel to The Eight and a new standalone title by Carol O'Connell. Trisha from The YA YA YAs included both titles in a recent post about 2008 titles that she's looking forward to reading. Here's what she said: "The Fire by Katherine Neville!!!!! - it’s been, what, over ten years since her last book was published? Plus, it’s the sequel to The Eight!!!! Finally!!" Tricia also was excited about: "Bone by Bone by Carol O’Connell!!!!! - it’s not a Mallory book, which disappointed me for a couple of seconds, because Find Me was excellent (and, wow, all that info about Mallory’s parents!). Then I remembered that the only other standalone O’Connell has written is the awesome Judas Child, which I absolutely love." I'm not quite so prone to exclamation points, but I agree 100% with Trisha about both The Eight and all of Carol O'Connell's books (especially Judas Child, the ending of which still haunts me).

Welcome to the latest installment of my "reviews that made me want to read the book" feature. My idea with these posts is to keep track of the books that catch my eye, while also giving props to the talented reviewers who draw my attention through their words.

Leila's reviews at Bookshelves of Doom often catch my eye. So when she said: "This book almost got me hit by a car", I paid attention. In her review of Diana Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl: An Ivy League Novel. Leila said "It isn't deep or particularly literary (you may have guessed that from the cover), but it's compulsively readable and completely entertaining. The characters are likable* and bright and I've already ordered the second book in the series." Good enough for me!

Laura Salas drew me in with her brief review of Circle of Truth by Pat Schmatz. Although the book has fantasy elements, such as a magically appearing stairway, what Laura liked about it was the analysis of relationships in a blended family. She said: "This is not an action-packed book, but the tension increased notch by notch, tightening its grip on me. I couldn't wait to finish and see what happened. The ending was satisfying. I won't say anymore since I don't want to ruin it for anyone."

Cindy Mitchell at Kiss the Book also intrigued me with a relatively short review, this one of Portia's Ultra Mysterious Double Life by Anna Hays. It sounds a bit like the Gilda Joyce books. A student reviewer said: "it had a great story of how a twelve year-old girl tries to deal with another earthquake catastrophe and having no father. I really liked this book and would gladly add it to my own collection."

This book was a personal recommendation to me by Becky Laney: Clare B. Dunkle's The Sky Inside. Becky also reviewed the book at Becky's Book Reviews, calling it a science fiction dystopian thriller with a premise that "screamed out "read me, read me, read me NOW!"" She also says "t would have been really easy--almost expected--for the characters to take a back seat to the premise, but that isn't the case in The Sky Inside. Yes, the premise had me at hello. But I really and truly came to believe in Martin."

Esme Raji Codell recently shared a "healthy dose of the funniest new picture books (she) could find" at Planet Esme. The one that I simply must have is Jumpy Jack & Googily by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall. Honestly, aren't the title and the cover enough? OK, here's part of Esme's description: "Googily, with sharp teeth but a disarming smile and eyes that are, indeed, googly, very endearingly checks wading pools, closets, under tables and beds for any culprits, and children will enjoy the inside joke of a monster inserting himself into every place that Jumpy Jacks fears one might be."

Another brief review by Stacy Church in Book Bits, the Westwood (MA) Public Library blog, pulls me in from the first lines of the review. Stacy says: "This may be my favorite children's book I've read all year. It's funny, really funny, and sad (my favorite combination), and the characters are great. On top of that, there's a mystery that the kids solve themselves. What could be better." What, indeed, Stacy? The book is Blue Like Friday by Siobhan Parkinson. Special bonus: I get a kick out of sitting in California getting book recommendations from the Westwood Library, hometown library of my lovely nieces.

Court from Once Upon a Bookshelf recently shared the news that Sourcebooks will be re-releasing a selection of Georgette Heyer's regency novels shortly. Her review of an advance copy of Black Sheep made me want the book now, but it won't be available until June 1st. In truth, for me, knowing that the book is going to be available, and is one that I haven't read, is good enough for me to decide to buy it. But Court's comments also helped: "The characters were wonderful, and the dialogue was witty and amusing. It was predictable, but that is what you would expect from this type of book. Of course the girl’s going to get the guy, everyone’s problems are going to work out wonderfully and all will live happily ever after. As my first foray into Heyer’s Regency romances, it was certainly successful. I finished the book feeling the complete satisfaction that only a good read can leave you with. I can see why Jane Austen fans really enjoy her books, and I will definitely be reading more of Heyer’s works." Yay! Another convert to one of my favorite authors.

This one is an announcement, not a review, but it's all I need. Monica Edinger reports at Educating Alice that Jeanne Duprau has a new (fourth) Ember book coming out: The Diamond of Darkhold. Monica says: "According to the flap copy, in Sparks Lina and Doon find a beat-up book missing most of its pages, but in it is mention of a device that may still be in Ember. So they go back to find it." Good enough for me! Cool cover, too.

Jennie from Biblio File intrigued me with her review of Model Spy (The Specialists), by Shannon Greenland. The premise is that a 16-year-old girl is tricked into becoming a spy. Jennie said: "This book was super-fun and exciting. I loved it. I'm sure all the techno babble was completely made up, but I don't care. I like the socially awkward smart, yet hot girl. The plot kept moving and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for the rest of the books in the series."

And that's all for now. I don't have time to actually read any of these books any time soon, but the combination of review, author, and premise made me want to read them all. Thanks, Kidlitosphere friends!

Welcome to the latest installment of my Reviews that Made Me Want to Read the Book feature, highlighting intriguing books and the reviewers who made them that way. I just did one of these posts a couple of days ago, and it seems soon to do another. All I can say is that the book blogging community has been very active this week, and five more books have made their way onto my radar screen.

This one looks fun: The Crystal Skull, by Manda Scott. Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf called it "a cross between an Indiana Jones movie and your typical hero’s journey novel." She also said: "I don’t usually go for apocalyptic fiction, but in this case the description that it was a “blend of history, myth, and science” sparked some interest." Well, that sparks some interest for me, too. This is an adult title, currently available in the US in hardcover.

I learned from The Reading Zone that Margaret Peterson Haddix has started a new series: The Missing. Sarah says: "This series promises to be just as good, if not better, than Shadow Children. The Missing: (Found) is a pageturner with twists and turns you will never see coming... Margaret Peterson Haddix is sure to draw in many more reluctant readers with this speculative fiction series." She describes the plot, too, and it sounds fascinating.

I read about Carol Plum-Ucci's novel Streams of Babel in Notes from the Horn Book. They called it "a breakneck tale of a bioterrorist attack on a small town’s water supply told through the eyes of the affected young adults. Plum-Ucci includes some timely issues with the action, but it’s the vivid characters and expertly controlled tension that will keep readers’ eyes glued to the page." Sounds compelling to me!

Anne Boles Levy reviewed A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee at Book Buds. I was already favorably disposed to the book because Marla Frazee illustrates the wonderful Clementine books. But then Anne said "Frazee's narration and pictures don't line up exactly, to hilarious effect", and gave examples. I can totally picture it, and I want to read it.

And finally, although she only gave it 3.5 stars, I was pulled in by Becky's review of Bronte's Book Club, by Kristiana Gregory, at Becky's Book Reviews. It's about a girl who moves to a new town, and starts a book club as a way to make friends. Becky says: "Books. Friendship. Summer adventures. And snacks. This is perfect light reading for young readers." I think it will be perfect light reading for me, too.

But enough blogging about books that I want to read - I'm going to go read one of the many books already sitting on my shelves.

Welcome to the latest installment of my recurring "reviews that made me want to read the book" feature. The idea is to highlight the reviewers who, through apt description, or through happening to touch on one of my particular interests, entice me add a book to my list. This week I discuss five reviews.

I've enjoyed Eva Ibbotson's children's books for a while now. I've heard good things about her YA titles, but have yet to get around to reading one. Angieville kindled my interest in Ibbotson's A Song for Summer by saying "There is humor, danger, romance, and a beautiful longing for the world as it was and as it should be among the pages of this book. Ibbotson's light, lyrical writing flowed through each chapter, like the glissandi and grace notes of the music that is so central to its theme." At the very least, doesn't it make you want to read the rest of the review?

Juliet Marillier’s Wildwood Dancing has been vaguely on my radar, but Shelf Elf made me want to read it with these sentences: "This is a book I wish all fans of Stephanie Meyer’s series - Twilight, New Moon & Eclipse - would pick up, because it has everything those books have (thwarted love affairs, dark magic, deep secrets) without all of that over-the-top, heavy-breathing ,”I cannot live without your icy lips pressed against mine” business. It’s beautifully crafted, with well-drawn characters so that you never feel stuck inside of a good vs. evil fairy tale struggle." Now, I like the Twilight books, but this still caught my attention.

This is all it took to make me add Barbara O'Connor's Greetings from Nowhere to my list: Franki Sibberson at A Year of Reading said: "Really, I can't imagine loving a book more than I loved this one. It was really quite a perfect book." OK, Franki, coming from you, that's good enough for me.

Sometimes it doesn't even take a full review to entice me, but rather an intriguing comparison. At Chasing Ray, Colleen Mondor said of Curtis Parkinson's Death in Kingsport that it reminds her "of everything good about the Three Investigators. You've got some dead folks, a teenager with a couple of sidekicks who are trying to figure stuff out and a potential tie-in to an Amazon trip by a couple of locals post WWI. It zips along and while it might be a wee bit out there it's realistic enough to be fun." What mystery-lover could resist that?

And sometimes a review just strikes a particular chord. Kathy from Library Stew made me want to read Zachary's Ball, Oliver's Game and Mudball, three picture books by Matt Tavares, by saying of Zachary's Ball: "Since it is the tale of a Boston Red Sox fan, how could I not like it. But in all his baseball books, Tavares pen and ink drawings are so detailed and so I might even enjoy them if they were about the Yankees". OK, I'll concede that this description may not pull everyone in, but it worked for me.

The above books are now officially on my wish list. Now if I could only find some time to read... (I've been working on this post while watching the Red Sox - A's game). Keep those reviews coming!

Welcome to the latest installment of my Review that Made Me Want to Read the Book feature. Oddly, both titles featured this week are first kids' books written by well-known adult authors. I'm a bit skeptical about such books in general, but both of these intrigue me.

At her blog Books for YA's and the people who love them, Cindy Mitchell wrote about Sure Fire, written by Jack Higgins, with Justin Richards. It's about two kids who find themselves with a dad they don't know after their mother dies, until the dad is kidnapped. Cindy said: "Now all three of them are running for their lives and only fast wits, smart plans and family togetherness will save the world and their lives along with it. I sure hope that there are going to be many more titles involving the Chance family, because they are fantastic." Sounds fun to me. Plus I know a "Chance family", so I get an extra kick out of that. I've also enjoyed Justin Richard's Invisible Detective books for kids (see my reviews of the first two here and here).

At Reading Rants! Out of the Ordinary Teen Booklists, Jen Hubert brought to my attention the first children's book featuring the kid version of an adult character who I enjoy. I've been reading F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series for a few years now. They're about a singularly versatile guy who lives "off the grid", and makes a living doing marginally legal "repair projects" for people (like recovering stolen property, protecting them, etc.). They have supernatural elements to them, as well as a whole good vs. evil thing, but I read them because I like Jack. (He's a bit like Jack Reacher, from Lee Child's series). Anyway, the upcoming Jack: Secret Histories is set in 1983, when Jack is a kid riding his bike around New Jersey, and solving mysteries. Jen says: "it’s great fun watching amateur sleuths solve mysteries without the help of Google or past episodes of C.S.I. Why, it’s almost like Nancy Drew! Or Scooby Doo and the gang riding around in the Mystery Machine!" I'd find that hard to resist anyway, and the fact that it's Repairman Jack is just icing on the cake. I'll be watching for this one (due out in late May/early June).

Thanks for inspiring me to read these books, Cindy and Jen!

Today I bring you the third installment of my recurring "reviews that made me want to read the book" feature (you can find previous installments here). The idea is to highlight books that particularly catch my eye from other people's reviews and book commentary. This will help me to keep track of the books, and will also allow me to give credit to the bloggers who help me to discover great books.

Amanda from A Patchwork of Books made me want to read the first book in James Dashner's The 13th Reality series (The Journal of Curious Letters, Shadow Mountain Press) by saying: "It's got everything: action, adventure, riddles, reality hopping...you name it, it's in there. A perfect mixture of science fiction and fantasy for those kids that have that love of a bit of magic and a bit of weirdness all in one."

Laura Salas got me interested in reading Bonny Becker's new picture book, A Visitor for Bear (Candlewick) by giving out some updated information about the book (rather than a full review). Laura said: "Bonny recently learned that A Visitor for Bear was going to be featured on the picture book wall at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide", and gave some background about how this came about. I was thrilled to hear this because I very much enjoyed Bonny's first book, Holbrook: A Lizard's Tale, and I'm pleased to see her new book getting so much attention.

Ms. Yingling's reviews often catch my eye. I think it's a combination of how prolific she is in writing reviews, and the fact that she and I are clearly kindred spirits in our reading interests. This week, she's intrigued me by writing about Stefan Petrucha's Time Tripper Quartet (Razorbill), starting with Yestermorrow. Like me, Ms. Yingling enjoys time travel books. She says of this series: "What I really liked, however, was the dark, teenage tone, the swiftly moving plots, the quirky characters, and the mind-bending aspects of time travel. These were a great portrayal of a darker side of that thought, which is what I have come to expect from Razorbill."

Stacy Dillon from Booktopia inspired me to add Madapple, by Christina Meldrum (Knopf) to my list, saying "...Aslaug is soon intertwined in a family saga filled with twists, turns and untruths. She has survived so much already, can she survive this? Christina Meldrum has written a devastating, gut-wrenching, compelling and thoughtful story." And I just like the name Aslaug.

This is the second edition of the new "reviews that make me want to read the book" feature here at Jen Robinson's Book Page. The idea (as introduced here) is to highlight a few recent reviews that have inspired me to want to read the book in question. This will give a bit of much-deserved attention to the authors of these enticing reviews, and will also help me to keep track of these reviews as they pass by my computer. I hope that you find some book ideas here, too.

First up is Chris Monroe's Monkey with a Tool Belt (Carolrhoda Books), reviewed by Betsy Bird at A Fuse #8 Production. I actually loved the cover photo, but was also taken by this text from Betsy (who loved the book): "There is nothing quite so comforting as a competent hero. Monroe has created a story that is as kid-friendly as it is partly because you never really worry too badly for Chico. Even when he's in dire straits you're comforted by the very presence of his tool belt."

Next up is Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (Roc Trade), reviewed by Emmaco at There's Always Time for a Book. Emmaco says that it "stars 15-year old Ned, who has traveled to Provence with his famous photographer father... Ned's worries are soon superceded by new concerns as the past becomes tangled with the present, placing his family and friends into danger. Kay does a great job at gently introducing the many different historical events that have occurred in the region." As regular readers know, I'm a sucker for time travel books, and I like the sound of the way the time travel is mixed in for this one.

I've seen Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (Scholastic) around, and thought that the title was appealing. But Esme Raji Codell convinced me to read it with: "This book has laugh-out-loud slapstick, zany characters, and a meticulous plotting that keeps imagination from becoming mayhem; in fact, I have yet to meet a child (or a librarian) who didn't like this book, probably because it sizzles with magic, and gives readers hope that whatever fault you may have can be turned to an advantage."

Cynthia Leitich Smith made me want to read Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds by April Lurie (Delacorte). The post isn't a full review, but rather an announcement about a giveaway to receive an ARC. However, Cynthia's plot summary, about two teenage girls who inadvertently find themselves involved with the mob, caught my attention. Perhaps because we've just started watching Season 6 of the Sopranos at my house.

And that's it for today. Though I do wonder if I would be better off reading some of the books that I have, instead of writing about other books that I want to read. But anyway, hope this is of interest.

Today I am introducing a new feature of my blog: Reviews that Made Me Want the Book. One of the great things about the Kidlitosphere, of course, is the book reviews. People uncover all sorts of hidden gems, books that would never make the ever-shrinking book pages in print newspapers, yet deserve special attention. Despite the fact that I mostly skim reviews (because I have a keen wish not to know too much about each book before I read it), I frequently run across reviews that make me say "now that's a book I want to read." When this happens, it's usually a combination of the reviewer's ability to get across the essence of the book, and something in the book's subject matter that particularly appeals to me (or that I think will appeal to my blog's audience).

In the past, I've been somewhat haphazard about following up on these "I want to read it" pings. However, I've decided to change all that, by starting an occasional feature in which I list these reviews.

A couple of caveats are in order. No, I won't be making any attempt to keep track of all of the reviews out there. Kelly Herold used to do that, when there were a lot fewer blogs, and it quickly became unmanageable. Instead, she founded the Children's Book Reviews wiki, where a number of people organize their reviews. Sherry does a Saturday round-up of recent book reviews every week at Semicolon, also, and you'll find that a source of nearly 100 links during many weeks.

There are many, many reviews published on the blogs. I'll be highlighting those very few that awoke the "I want it" voice inside myself. I'll be focusing mostly on books that I learn about from a review, that aren't already on my radar. Or in some cases books that I knew about, but wasn't necessarily intending to read, until a reviewer convinced me otherwise. I'm not sure if the result will be of interest to anyone else, but we'll give it a try and see. Here is my first list:

Budge Wilson's prequel: Before Green Gables. This one isn't quite a review, but I was convinced to read the book by an email from Mark Blevis from Just One More Book!, and by Mark's recent podcast about the book and the Anne of Green Gables 100th anniversary.

Zizou Corder's new book: Lee Raven, Boy Thief, reviewed by Bookwitch. Sadly, this book isn't available in the US yet. Bookwitch says: "Although set in 2046 it has the feel of a Victorian novel, with street urchins all over the place. They may use mobile phones, but it’s very Victorian." Doesn't that sound fun?

Joe Haldeman's The Accidental Time Machine, reviewed by Becky at Becky's Book Reviews. Without going into too much detail, Becky says: "No matter what I say from this point, it couldn't do justice to the book. It is exciting. It is fast-paced. It is funny in moments. The writing is definitely all witty and clever and oh-so-right."

Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox, reviewed at The Reading Zone. This one was already on my radar, but Sarah pulled me in with this: "An amazing science-fiction story, I would classify Pearson’s novel as dystopian. It’s a frightening look at where our society is headed and what might happen in our future. It raises questions of medical ethics, bioethics, humanity, and how far we are willing to go to save someone we love."

Linda Collison's Star-Crossed, reviewed by Angieville, who said that it: "reminded me of a mixture of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and a more mature The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Like Kit and Charlotte, sixteen-year-old Patricia Kelley is forced into a radically new life, but remains stubbornly determined to shape it to her will. Orphaned, illegitimate, and penniless, Patricia stows away on a British merchant ship bound for Barbados."

Sundee Frazier's Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It, reviewed by Ms. Yingling Reads. Here's the beginning: "
Sundee Frazier has done a wonderful job of creating a dynamic ten-year-old character who loves rocks, scientific studies and Tae Kwon Do, misses his grandfather who recently passed away, has a supportive mother and father and a best friend to hang out with, and just happens to be biracial."

Kimberly Willis Holt's Piper Reed Navy Brat, reviewed by Marcie Atkins at World of Words. Marcie says: "Are you looking for a book for girls (or guys) who have "graduated" from Junie B., but still need a good, short chapter book to keep them reading? This is the book." And that's enough to capture my interest.

Julia L. Sauer's Fog Magic, capsule reviewed by Becky Levine, in a list of her favorite books. Becky says of the fog: "it is magic. Fog cools, it hides, it changes the light. In Fog Magic, it leads you into the past, into a Brigadoon-like village that doesn't exist in the sunshine."

And that's it for today. These eight titles are now officially on my radar, because of the insightful reviews linked above.

With the temperatures dropping and the darkness stretching, what could be better than a cozy bed and an armload of great children’s books? If you’re compiling your library list, gift list or wish list for this cozy reading season, be sure to check out our Just One More Book 2006 Book List.

We’ve boiled our Just One More Book!! episodes from July through December 2006 down to title, author and illustrator and made the list available in PDF format.

Thanks to Vivian Vasquez of the CLIP Podcast for this great suggestion.

Happy Reading!!