Simon Winchester

      Atlantic. HarperCollins, c2010. 495p. T55525

     Of all of Winchester's amazingly educational and entertaining books, a list that includes the best-selling The Map That Changed the World (2001) and Krakatoa (2003), his latest one is perhaps the most unique and the most creative in its approach. It is presented as a biography—of an ocean! It is as if he is telling the life story of the Atlantic, and, indeed, as we learn from one of the most wondrous facts presented here, oceans actually do have life spans—they have "their beginnings and their endings." The Atlantic, as we are told, was born 10 million years ago by the continental split between Africa and South America, and its death will occur some 170 million years from now. The geological history of this vast body of water is partnered with the human story of habitation around it, and travel over it, because in Winchester's view, the Atlantic has functioned as the "inland sea of Western civilization." His coverage of aspects of human involvement with this ocean is lively and extensive, with topics ranging from the Atlantic as represented in the arts to the effects of climate change and overfishing and from immigration patterns to the use of the ocean’s waters for warfare. Booklist.   

Patti Smith

     Just Kids.  HarperCollins, c2010. 279p. T55526.

    *Starred Review*. In 1967, 21-year-old singer–song writer Smith, determined to make art her life and dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities in Philadelphia to live this life, left her family behind for a new life in Brooklyn. When she discovered that the friends with whom she was to have lived had moved, she soon found herself homeless, jobless, and hungry. Through a series of events, she met a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe who changed her life—and in her typically lyrical and poignant manner Smith describes the start of a romance and lifelong friendship with this man: It was the summer Coltrane died. Flower children raised their arms... and Jimi Hendrix set his guitar in flames in Monterey. It was the summer of Elvira Madigan, and the summer of love.... This beautifully crafted love letter to her friend (who died in 1989) functions as a memento mori of a relationship fueled by a passion for art and writing. Smith transports readers to what seemed like halcyon days for art and artists in New York as she shares tales of the denizens of Max's Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner's, Brentano's, and Strand bookstores. In the lobby of the Chelsea, where she and Mapplethorpe lived for many years, she got to know William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Johnny Winter. Most affecting in this tender and tough memoir, however, is her deep love for Mapplethorpe and her abiding belief in his genius. Smith's elegant eulogy helps to explain the chaos and the creativity so embedded in that earlier time and in Mapplethorpe's life and work. Publishers Weekly.

Gordon Campbell

      Bible: the Story of the King James Version, 1611-2011. Oxford Univ. Press, c2010. 354p. T55522.

     Entire books have been written on the making of the King James Version of the Bible. Campbell’s scope is much bigger, though—devoting only a third of his book to the KJV’s creation. In what he calls a "biography of a book," Campbell traces the version’s entire history up to 2011, which will mark the 400th anniversary of what may be the most influential book in the English language. Since the King James Bible is a product of the Renaissance era, it is appropriate that its biographer is a professor of Renaissance studies (Leicester University). Even so, Campbell never seems out of his element when covering the KJV in its later historical stages. He devotes a chapter apiece to each century since the Bible’s first edition and also includes a chapter on the unique aspect of the KJV’s reception in America. The final third of the book highlights all of the KJV’s significant revisions (e.g., NKJV) and editions (e.g., Scofield). Throughout, there is enough detail to please serious researchers but not too much to turn off those simply wanting a "good read." Booklist.  

Deborah Crombie

      Necessary as Blood. Morrow, c2009. 378p. T54900.

     Romance dominates Crombie's 13th contemporary procedural featuring Scotland Yarders Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid, who are on the verge of getting married. The how, where and when of their wedding proves a considerable source of stress to both, overshadowing the murder investigation of Naz Malik, a solicitor suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Sandra Gilles, an artist specializing in textile collage. Malik was found suffocated in Bethnal Green, with traces of an animal tranquilizer in his system. Meanwhile, James's mother is seriously ill, placing James in the impossible position of trying to fulfill both her familial and work responsibilities. In addition, James must fight to keep Malik's now parentless young daughter from falling into the custody of Sandra's unsavory relatives.  Publishers Weekly.

Carolyn Erickson

      Rival to the Queen. St. Martin's, c2010. 296p. T55505.

     The Virgin Queen Elizabeth I and her heart's consort, Lord Robert Dudley, the earl of Leicester, continue to exert a seductive hold on the imagination as fodder for fiction. Now Erickson examines a rival for Lord Dudley's affections, Leticia "Lettie" Knollys, a Boleyn relative who, along with her sister, served in Elizabeth's court and eventually became Lady Leicester. Erickson paints Elizabeth as an enormously selfish, envious monster, and Dudley as a handsome rake who's devoted to his own agenda and to his queen. But due at least in part to politics, his relationship with Elizabeth doesn't end in the marriage he's longed for, and the marriage he does have, to Lady Amy, ends with her untimely death, a possible suicide. Dudley's marriage to Lettie produces a son who later dies, and a liaison with Lady Douglass Sheffield produces a bastard, or "base" son. Publishers Weekly.

D.E. Meredith

      Devoured. Minotaur, c2010. 291p. T55593.

     Like the Victorian era that provides its setting, Meredith's first novel is a carefully contrived surface, hiding dark things. For a while. The MacGuffin here is a series of letters the botanist Benjamin Broderig sends from steamy Borneo to his wealthy benefactress in London. She is murdered. The letters are stolen. The scientific establishment is even more desperate than the police to get back the letters because, we’re told, their contents would rock the known world. But excerpts will have readers scratching their heads. This is soft-core Darwinian stuff. Surely more is going on? There is, and fear of disclosure precipitates a series of murders whose details are comprehended only by the overworked pathologist Hatton and his assistant, Roumande. Their investigation goes from morgue to sweatshop to drawing room, all told in a polite, muted style that would seem to make this a lap-robe and pot-of-tea sort of novel despite the horrors that finally emerge. Its audience will comprise those who like to live in a book and are willing to let the author take her time. Booklist.

Julia Stuart

      The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise. Doubleday, c2010. 304p. T55599.     

     A Beefeater, his wife, and their nearly 180-year-old tortoise live in the Tower of London. Balthazar and Hebe Jones lost their son, Milo, to illness three years ago, and while Beefeater Balthazar grieves silently and obsessively collects rainwater in perfume bottles, Hebe wants to talk about their loss openly. Hebe works in the thematically convenient London Underground Lost Property Office, and the abandoned items that reside there (an ash-filled urn, a gigolo's diary, Dustin Hoffman's Oscar) are almost as peculiar as the unruly animals (lovebirds not in love, a smelly zorilla, monkeys with a peculiar nervous tic) in the Tower's new menagerie, given to the queen and overseen by Balthazar. Passion, desperation, and romantic shenanigans abound among the other Tower-dwellers: the Reverend, an erotic fiction writer, has eyes for a bartender, and the Ravenmaster is cheating on his wife with the cook. Publishers Weekly.

Spencer Quinn

      To Fetch a Thief. Atria, c2010. 307p. T55586.

     *Starred Review*. When Peanut, the elephant star of the Drummond Family Traveling Circus, goes missing, along with elephant tamer Uri DeLeath, Uri's tearful clown partner, Popo, seeks the help of canine detective Chet the Jet and Chet's human partner in cracking crimes, Bernie Little of the Little Detective Agency, in Quinn's terrific third Chet and Bernie mystery set in "the Valley" of an unnamed Western state (after January 2010's Thereby Hangs a Tail). Sgt. Rick Torres of Missing Persons adds his considerable expertise, but it's Chet's fearless nose for clues that leads them on a strange odyssey that becomes downright hairy after Uri's found dead in the desert from the bite of an illegal African puff adder. Quinn, the pseudonym of suspense author Peter Abrahams (End of Story), radiates pure comedic genius via Chet's doggy bright narrative. You don't have to be a dog lover to enjoy this deliciously addictive series. Publishers Weekly.  

Rae Mariz

      The Unidentified. Balzer + Bray, c2010. 296p. T55611.

     Gr. 7+. In a startlingly plausible dystopian society, the school system has failed to the point that the government gives over control of national education to corporations. These conglomerates have banded together to create what are known as Game Centers. Here students like Katey Dade, or Kid, go to "school" in refurbished shopping malls. They swipe cards to get in and out, they carry issued cell phones with GPS trackers, they post continuously to profile pages and status feeds (similar to Facebook and Twitter), while administrators and corporate officials monitor their every move. Students who achieve the highest scores in games, set the coolest fashion trends, and gain the utmost popularity are "Branded," instantly assisting the corporations to plug their wares. Kid coasts, never looking to become Branded, but then she is taken up by not just one corporate sponsor, but two, as a "trendspotter." As she tries to balance new expectations with betrayals by lifelong friends and new relationships, Kid also begins to question the societal structure around her. Drawn to the prank-pulling group calling themselves The Unidentified, she longs for her previous anonymity and blissful ignorance of the shady dealings all around her. Well written and featuring a cast that most readers will find some sort of connection with, this novel is an impressive debut. Teens will immediately be able to see the connections to today's technology-dependent society and imagine how the future could be eerily like the setting in The Unidentified. Kid takes readers through myriad emotions on her whirlwind tour as a "name" in the game, and readers will be fixated until the very end. Recommend this one to fans of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games and James Dashner's The Maze Runner. School Library Journal.

Neil Connelly

      The Miracle Stealer. Arthur A. Levine, c2010. 230p. T55560.

     *Starred Review* Gr. 9-12. The power and danger of religion receives a realistic, gutsy—and yet movingly spiritual—examination in this ambitious and graceful drama. "You ain't special" is what 19-year-old Andi tells her 6-year-old brother, Daniel, over and over. It's for his own protection: ever since he was rescued from a well on national TV as a baby, he has been known as "Miracle Boy," and his prayers and touches have purportedly remedied everything from stillborns to arthritis. Despite Andi's objections, her devout mother feels it is their duty to help others—especially during the Paradise Days festival that, it is hoped, will bring tourists back to their struggling town. Andi is a remarkable protagonist, a no-bullshit atheist convinced that this "superstitious crap" will damage her brother. Secondary characters breathe just as deeply: a horribly scarred but gentle reverend; Andi's ex-boyfriend, dragged into her dangerous Anti-Miracle Plan; and a creepy lurker known as Scarecrow who wants to "test" Daniel. Rarely has the dilemma of miracles been articulated so succinctly; if people start changing for the better, is it a miracle regardless of the impetus? Connelly writes with such calm assurance—never too much, never too little—that what could have been an overwhelming epic is instead a slim book that reads with miraculous speed. Booklist.

Claudia Mills

      One Square Inch. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, c2010. 168p. T55628.

     Gr. 4-6. For sixth-grader Cooper and his seven-year-old sister, Carly, the new school year brings new friends, stimulating class projects—and increasing worry as their mother goes from disappearing into her room for hours and hours to rushing about buying art supplies, taking on special or household projects without following through, and undergoing wild mood swings. Cooper and Carly find some refuge in constructing a tiny bedroom kingdom (see title), and Cooper knows he should talk to an adult. But the right time for that never seems to come until, at last, Carly runs away after being left alone again at home. There's a clear purpose driving this simply written story, but along with slipping in a few brief info-dumps about bipolar disorder, Mills effectively and realistically conveys both Cooper’s rising anxiety and his mother's increasingly erratic behavior. Booklist.

Erin Bow

      Plain Kate. Arthur A. Levine, c2010. 314p. T55618.

     Gr. 4-8. When Kate's wood-carver father dies, she is left to support herself with her woodworking talent while living in her father's former market stall with a cat named Taggle. When Linay, a mysterious and magical stranger, comes to town and buys Kate's shadow, he gives her the money she needs to escape her village home, where people are blaming her for the hard times that have fallen on them. It is rumored that her talent comes from magic, but Kate's journey leads to unexpected consequences and danger for her and the Roamer family whom she joins. It's up to Kate; her new friend, Drina; and Taggle to defeat Linay with their own magic, as they come to discover the truth about his past and his desire for revenge. Kate's journey involves physical, mental, and magical growth, presenting a character who truly matures and changes over the course of her story, and the bittersweet conclusion reflects honest choices and Kate's newfound strength. Supporting characters, from villagers to the tormented Linay, are presented realistically and move the story forward smoothly. Bow's first novel shows a solid control of story and characters, and the careful and evocative writing reflects her work as a published poet. School Library Journal.

Wilson Kameli Naiyomah

      14 Cows for America/14 Vacas para América. Peachtree, c2009. T55673/T55451. Available in English and Spanish.

     *Starred Review*. Gr. 2–5. Kimeli Naiyomah returned home to his Maasai village from New York City with news of 9/11 terrorist attacks. His story prompted the villagers to give a heartfelt gift to help America heal. Deedy and Gonzalez bring Naiyomah's story to life with pithy prose and vibrant illustrations. Each block of text consists of a few short, elegant sentences: "A child asks if he has brought any stories. Kimeli nods. He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole in his heart." The suspenseful pace is especially striking when surrounded by Gonzalez's exquisite colored pencil and pastel illustrations. The colors of Kenya explode off the page: rich blues, flaming oranges, fire-engine reds, and chocolate browns. Full-page spreads depict the Maasai people and their land so realistically as to be nearly lifelike. Gonzalez manages to break the fourth wall and draw readers in as real-time observers. The book's only flaw is the less-than-concrete ending: "…there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort" is an important message, but not a particularly satisfying one for children. Fortunately, their questions will be answered by Naiyomah's endnote, and it provides a fitting conclusion to this breathtaking chronicle. School Library Journal.

Susan Middleton Elya

      Rubia and the Three Osos. Hyperion, 2010. T55447.

     PreS-K. A marvelous retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with a lively bilingual twist. Rubia makes herself at home while the three osos go out for a stroll. Where the original story concludes with confrontation and flight, Elya's surprise ending offers conflict resolution and friendship. The narrative includes bouncy rhythms and smoothly intersperses Spanish words into the English. This technique helps children use context to determine their meaning. The book will also help preschoolers grasp the concept of opposites while expanding their vocabularies in both languages. Spanish is printed in a purple font, and a glossary is provided in the back. The mixed-media illustrations capture the bright colors of Southwestern landscapes and designs as well as the cheerful tone of the story. Sweet also adds nice regional details, such as Rubia's cowgirl boots and cacti scattered throughout the pictures. An excellent read-aloud for storyhours and family reading times. School Library Journal.

Steve Jenkins

      Bones: Skeletons and How They Work. Scholastic. 2010. T55448. 

     *Starred Review*. Gr. 3-6. From the life-sized human skull grinning out from the brick-red cover to a complete skeleton waving goodbye from a gatefold late in the book, bones are given an entertaining and fresh treatment. Beginning with the opening spread of life-sized animal bones, human bones are quantified and qualified. Hands, feet, femurs, ribs, spine, and skull are shown and compared to other species. Symmetry and joints as well as adaptations for survival are introduced. Humor abounds in the illustrations as well as in subheadings such as, "That's a Handful, Big Foot", and "Head Case". Readers will be lured in by interactive touches like "What bone is this?" and the "Some Assembly Required" spread with all 206 adult human bones unlabeled and grouped by body area. Displayed against a navy-blue background, the spread opens to the burnt sienna gatefold mentioned above. Two additional gatefolds include a small python (200 ribs) and a collection of skulls. Jenkins's characteristic cut-paper collages in mottled creams and grays are perfectly suited to the topic and contrasted against solid jewel-tone, full-bleed backgrounds. The precise and scaled representations (many life size) are clearly labeled. Text, other than an opening page, is limited and supports the highly visual and sophisticated treatment. A "More About Bones" spread completes the book with a hodgepodge of fascinating facts. With applications that range from anatomy to evolution and mathematics, this book will find a place in every collection. School Library Journal. 

Barbara O'Connor

      The Fantastic Secret World of Owen Jester. Frances Foster, c2010. 168p. T55471.

     Gr. 4–7. This well-crafted novel creates a charming mix of the commonplace and the extraordinary. On summer break, the likably mischievous Owen Jester has caught the biggest, best bullfrog in Carter, GA. However, "Tooley Graham" isn't healthy, saddling Owen with a nagging guilt about keeping his new pet captive. Meanwhile, after hearing a crash in the night, the boy discovers that a Water Wonder 4000–a two-passenger submarine that has fallen off a passing train. He tries to keep his secret from everyone but his friends, but nosy neighbor Viola isn't easily fooled. When she discovers the sub, the only way to keep her from alerting grown-ups is to let her in on the plan to take it for a spin. But there are problems. How will they move the heavy sub to the pond? Can they figure out how to drive it? And most importantly, how can Owen and his friends work with their archenemy? The plot is straightforward and efficient; the focus is always clear. Characterization is a strength–particularly memorable is Viola, who steals the show as an honest-to-goodness know-it-all. O'Connor deftly leads readers to ponder some big questions about friendship and disrupting the natural order. Beyond pleasure reading, the story lends itself nicely to use in a classroom setting. Appealing and authentic, this tale of summertime adventure will be a hit with readers year round. School Library Journal.

John Grandits

      The Travel Game. Clarion, c2009. T55538.

     Gr. K-3. Growing up above his hardworking family's tailor shop in Buffalo, NY, young Tad is surrounded by loving Polish relatives. On a busy Saturday after work and a lunch of golumki, fried mushrooms, and homemade bread, Grandma reminds the boy it's time for his nap, but Tad declares he is too old for one. Aunt Hattie suggests that they take a rest in his room and enjoy their favorite game–the travel game. To play, the pair needs a globe and the book 1001 Pictures from Around the World. As they spin the globe, Tad's finger lands near Hong Kong. Aunt and nephew read about their imaginary destination and set off on a wild adventure involving a seven-story white pagoda, water taxis, and tigers. The ending–Aunt Hattie napping on Tad's bed while he helps his family in the shop below–will probably come as no surprise to children. Alley's cheery and busy street, home, and shop scenes in ink, watercolor, and acrylic are filled with the sorts of details that are fully appreciated over multiple readings. Children will be charmed by the warmth and humor of Grandits's wonderful tribute to family memories and the power of imagination. School Library Journal.