Children's Books
Welcome to the Youth Services Children's Books blog. We encourage you to give feedback and share.
This is the first book in a new series entitled "Percy Jackson & the Olympians." 12-year-old Percy returns to New York City for summer vacation where he lives with his mother and poker playing, beer guzzling stepfather, Gabe, following a year in private school where Percy is pretty sure that he has turned one of his teachers to dust. When Percy and his mother leave for a trip to the Long Island shore to stay on the beach, strange events begin to occur that force them to attempt to reach Camp Half-Blood. Percy manages to escape, but only after seeing his mother get killed by a minotaur. The camp turns out to be for the offspring of the Olympian Gods, where they train to fight off the monsters outside in the real world. Percy doesn't quite believe that he is the son of a God, and it hasn't been determined which God is his father, until he discovers he has powers while in the water. As a son of Poseidon, Perseus is sent on a quest to Hades that would prevent a major war between the Gods. Persy agrees to go, along with his friends Grover, a satyr, and a daughter of Athena named Annabeth, but only because he thinks he can bring his mother back. Full of mythology, this is an exciting and unique adventure for kids in grades 4-9, especially those waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out. "The Sea of Monsters" is the second book in this series. 
This is one terrific, true story of the humanitarian rescue mission utilized by the British and American pilots in 1948 which began the Berlin Airlift. A wonderful true and personal account of one American pilot, Lt. Gail Halvorsen, who becomes known as the "Chocolate Pilot" and a little seven year old girl, named Mercedes, is painted before our eyes and hearts in this book. After World War II is finally over, the recovery of devastated Europe begins. Lt. Halvorsen drops supplies for the people and candy in parachutes made from handkerchiefs to the children of West Berlin from his airplane. Mercedes writes Lt. Halvorsen a letter asking him to drop candy where she lives. Upon receiving the letter, Lt. Halvorsen mails her a package of chocolate treats. Twenty-four years later, Mercedes meets Col. Halvorsen in person. They remain in contact even today. This is a must read for elementary school children and families. It is nonfiction and written in picture book format. The illustrations put the reader into the time and situation. Our copy at Wright Library is autographed by Col. Halvorsen. I love this book...check it out for yourself. 
This is a well written and easy-to-read biography of Theodore Roosevelt crammed full of details of his life and accomplishments from early childhood until his death in 1919. A very charismatic character his daughter referred to as "the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral", this book will overwhelm you with the amount of energy and drive Roosevelt possessed. What I found interesting was that it shows how contradictory his life was. For instance, despite his priviledged upbringing, he chose the "lowly" profession of politics as his way of life. Despite being a huge advocate for conservation and nature, he was a huge hunter. He was a Republican that often alienated his party and fought against the very people that helped him attain office. It uses photographs throughout and includes a table of contents, timeline and index. Suitable for children in grades 5-12. 
This book was originally published in German and translated into English. This ghost story takes place in a small town in Maine. Vicki, a 12-year-old girl, is spending her summer waitressing in her father's must-see tourist attraction restaurant, Ye Olde Seashell Room, that has seashell covered walls and a two-hundred-and thirty-year-old figurehead from the lost ship named Storm Goddess on its' wall. She befriends Peter, a tourist of her age, and strange things immediately begin to happen. The bay turns dry one night and the ghost ship appears fully intact. While the mayor sees opportunity for more tourists to come to his town, Vicki and Peter see ghosts and the need to solve a mystery that involves a hanged man and a curse. Both girls and boys in grades 4-6 will enjoy this plot filled with pirates and gold. 
This book is written from the character of a 12 year old African American boy who comes from a family that includes a father, mother, grandmother, brother and sister. Family life changes when the father loses his job. Challenges are presented and fortunately the story ends on a happy note. The story is beautifully written in a nonrhyming poetry form. It is an easy read and short in length. It is a great multi-cultural read. This book would be a fantastic "whole family" read and discuss book. I would recommend this book for second grade and older due to content. See how the title fits into the story line. 
This book was originally printed in French before being translated into English. It is set in Ghadames, Libya at the end of the 19th century, a time where women lived on the rooftops of the houses while the men were often in the desert trading goods. The story is told through the eyes of 12-year-old Malika who would like to have some of the same priviledges as her brother, such as reading and traveling, but is unfortunately at the age when she will soon be old enough to be married. This is a slow-paced story that beautifully describes the daily life of Muslim women in an Arab country. The reader will be surprised to see how women managed to create their own power and show remarkable cleverness depite leading traditional roles in the family. This would be of interest mainly to girls in grades 3-5 who like to learn about other cultures and religions. It is challenging to read in that there are many unfamiliar terms and names for an American reader. It is interesting to note that the lifestyles depicted in the book have only begun to change relatively recently. 
A collection of stories about a young man who runs a school for young wizards throughout the school year and who loves to garden, fish and nap in the summer. This summer, however, is especially busy and he is called upon to help by those requiring the skills of a wizard, and during those times he disguises himself as an old man “as people expected a wizard to look." This book includes 5 stories about the wizard’s work, and what makes them so unique is that they draw upon familiar fairy tales and legends describing parts of those stories we’ve never heard. For example, one story entitled “Beasts on the Rampage” explains how Jack really got those magic beans, and it is not at all how one might expect. It seems that Jack is quite irresponsible and has a bit of a gambling problem. He is trying to concoct some story to tell his mother about where the money has gone that he received after selling their cow Bessie. Meanwhile a pack of adolescent unicorns is terrorizing the village and the wizard is called upon to address the situation. The unicorn’s behavior has gotten so bad that we find out they are making a barbeque of Bessie. During a magic spell to make the unicorns grow older by one year and thus be past this stage of behavior, some residual magic is left on some beans that Jack then steals from the wizard. The reader is left listening to Jack’s tale of how he exchanged Bessie for some magic beans. “Wizard and Ghost” explains just how Loch Ness ends up with a monster, and “The Princess and the Quest for the Golden Cucumbers” tells the story of how the wizard himself fulfills the quest to win the heart of a princess without using any magic. This is a very entertaining book that kids in grades 2-5 are really going to enjoy. 
The first part of this non-fiction book is about caring animals and tells the stories of four different animals that have specific jobs helping people who cannot help themselves. These include Endal, an assistance dog who lives with a paralyzed man, Cuddles the guide horse that helps a blind man, Gizmo the monkey who also helps a paralyzed man, and the dolphin Duke who works with disabled children needing physical therapy. The second part of the book tells the stories of four animal rescuers. The first story tells of a dog named Ginny that rescues stray cats. The second is the story of Scarlett the cat, who rescued her kittens from a burning building. The third is about LuLu the pot-bellied pig who ran to get help when her owner was having a heart attack. The fourth tells of Salty the dog who guided his blind master out of one of the Twin Towers prior to its collapse. This book is full of color illustrations that kids will pore over. It’s a great choice for the animal lovers in grades K-5. 
This is a biography in the “TIME for Kids Biographies” series that also includes biographies of Harriet Tubman, John F. Kennedy, and Theodore Roosevelt. Intended for children ages 7-9, this biography is organized into chapters and includes a timeline of Jackie Robinson’s life. It includes many photographs (mostly black and white due to the time period discussed) that are identified with easy-to-read captions. This is a very readable biography full of interesting details of Jackie Robinson’s life from childhood until his death, emphasizing his baseball career and it’s effect allowing colored people to play on the white leagues and encouraging African Americans to fight for equal rights. 
Set in 1963, this story follows 6th grader Eleanor Roosevelt Dingman through her daily associations with family, school, and neighborhood. She lives in a neighborhood on Witch Tree Lane where “Bad Things” happen. The close neighbors include a Jewish family, a French family, 2 older women affectionately known as “The Ladies” who live together (and they aren’t even sisters!), the weird messy family run by a single mother, and the Dingmans. Eleanor’s mother, Doris, is a selfish, self-centered character more preoccupied with becoming a star or model in the small town of Spectacular, NY than cooking or taking care of her three children. At school, Eleanor and her best friend Holly, from the neighborhood, are outcasts. Beginning slowly, the first part of the book follows Doris’ adventures as she models for a local department store and arranges to become the Harvest Queen in the local parade. At school, Eleanor and Holly are being harassed by the rest of their class as they are continually slammed into lockers and onto the floor or into desks. The neighborhood, too, is being plagued by “Bad Things”. The Witch Tree is painted, mailboxes are bashed, rocks are thrown through windows, and Pumpkin, the neighborhood cat, is poisoned. Then President Kennedy is assassinated and the school and neighborhood are thrown into a tailspin. Holly and Eleanor wonder if the slamming will now stop since bigger concerns are evident. The book was slow starting but it ended up being a satisfying read. The characters were realistic as were the situations. Middle School girls will identify with Eleanor and Holly as they struggle through school. 
This is the fourth book in the Underland Chronicles. This book picks up where the last one left off. Gregor and Boots regularly visit the Underland as their mother remains below to recover from the plague she contracted in the last book. This is the first book in which Gregor is not required to fulfill a prophecy; however, he and Boots both end up in another adventure in the Underland. This time, the crown of Queen Luxa is returned to her by the “Nibblers”, the giant mice of the Underland, which is a signal to her that something terrible has happened and they need her help. As she and Gregor investigate what the Nibblers may need, they discover that all the mice have moved from the places where they live, presumably by the “Gnawers”, the rats. They have managed to leave a secret mark behind which indicates death to whoever finds it. As in the other books in this series, there is a strong anti-war message, but the violence never stops. Gregor is often questioning his actions, such as his identity as a “rager”, his unconscious fighting ability in which he is told it looks like he is smiling and even enjoying the battle. Can he really be enjoying it if he is against killing? The continuing Underland adventure will still appeal to those following this series. Another upcoming prophecy is mentioned, so there is little doubt that there will be a sequel. I would recommend this title to those who have read the first three books in the series. If you are looking for a good fantasy series that is appealing to middle school boys in particular, this is a good one, but it is necessary to read the books from the beginning to understand the storyline. 
This is the fourth book in Stine’s newest series “Rotten School”. Very humorous and full of that toilet humor young boys are so fond of, this book will appeal to fans of “Captain Underpants” or the books by James Marshall. The fourth grade football team at Rotten School known as the “Rotten Apples,” has never won a football game. At least not until Jennifer Ecch joins the team, wanting to be close to her boyfriend Bernie Bridges. He refers to her as the Nightmare Girl, but if she can get the team to win with her large size and blocking abilities, that’s just fine with him. In fact, if she can lead the team to the National Championship he will even wear the 10 sweaters she plans to knit for him that read, “ Bernie loves Jen” and he’ll get a date with the beautiful cheerleader April-May June. Unfortunately after winning every game Bernie realizes that the last game must be played against the roughest team, the “Bone Breakers” and he sets out to find a way to sabotage their winnings. Illustrated in black and white line drawings with washes of gray and includes a map of the Rotten School campus. The book is chock full of stereotypical characters – the cheerleader, the rich kid, the athlete, the geek – which fit perfectly with the style of the book. Humor abounds with names like R.U. Dumm Football Field and Headmaster Upchuck, illustrations of the Hammerhead Sharks showing their helmets in the shape of hammerhead sharks, and puns throughout. What boy is not going to love this? Good for grades 3-5. 
I think I enjoyed this one better than the first book by Blue Balliett, and I loved it! The same characters from “Chasing Vermeer” appear in this latest art mystery, this time surrounding the Robie House in Chicago built by the famous Frank Lloyd Wright. The house is in very poor disrepair and scheduled to be dismantled into sections and divided among three museums. Ms. Hussey, the 6th grade teacher, convinces her students that they must try to save the structure by generating some publicity and, presumably, millions of dollars needed to restore it to its original glory. Sleuths Calder, Petra, and Tommy form an alliance and noting all coincidences, use their individual skills of code breaking, writing, and collecting things, to figure out how they may be connected and in turn save the Robie House. The author has such a knack at filling the story in with details and creating great characters and a sense of place that the reader cannot help but become consumed by the story. Full of references the reader will want to investigate and codes they will need to break, this fast-paced and clever book will be a hit on many levels. Would make a great read-aloud and book for discussion. Suitable for kids in grades 3-6. I highly recommend this book! 
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