4 BOOKS FRee! - Junior Library Guild

The Aurora County All-Stars u
by Deborah Wiles • illustrated by Marla Frazee
SM GROUP (GRADES 7–11) • Reviews: BL, H, KH, PWH, SLJ
Mabel, Mississippi, is so small that there are only
enough kids for one baseball team, and they only get
to play one real game a year, on July fourth. No one
is looking forward to the game more than pitcher
House Jackson, who has finally recovered from a
broken arm. There’s only one problem: their town
has scheduled the Aurora County Birthday Pageant
for the exact same time as the game—and the All
Stars’ parents have signed them all up to perform! As
usual, it’s up to House to find a solution.
Isbn: 9780152060688 • Dewey: f • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 240 pp
aR level: 4.5 • aR Points: 6 • sRC level: 4.5 • sRC Points: 12 • lexile: 750l
JLG: $9.00 • Harcourt: $16.00 • JlG Month: seP 2007
Autopsies: Pathologists at Work
by Gary Jeffrey • illustrated by Terry Riley
GM GROUP (GRADES 7–11)
Dead men do tell tales, and pathologists interpret
what the dead are saying using post-mortem
examinations. Three stories of actual crimes solved
via autopsies are presented here in full color:
evidence of strangulation proves a woman didn’t die
in the Blitz; a body’s cell structures determine the
victim’s time of death; and follicular analysis gives
detectives a time line of a victim’s poisoning. Includes
overviews of how a crime is investigated and of
how a post-mortem exam is conducted. Additional
case summaries. Glossary. Suggestions for more
information and further reading. Index.
Isbn: 9781404214460 • Dewey: 614/.1 • 6 1/2" x 10" • 48 pp
aR level: 5.3 • aR Points: 1
JLG: $9.00 • Rosen: $29.25 • JlG Month: MaY 2008
Baseball Crazy:
Ten Short Stories That Cover All the Bases
edited by Nancy E. Mercado
SM GROUP (GRADES 7–11)
Reviews: BL, HG, K, PWH, SLJ, WM
The baseball field is a mythical place where legends
are made. But it’s also a place where a kid can escape
the drudgery of an orphanage, where a deep romantic
feud can find an outlet for closure, and where a boy
can use perfume to confuse a pitcher and get the girl
in the same game. As this collection of ten original
stories shows, tales tall and small are born on the
diamond every day. Features contributions from Jerry
Spinelli, Frank Portman, and Maria Testa. Includes
author “stats” after each story.
Isbn: 9780803731622 • Dewey: f • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 192 pp
aR level: 4.9 • aR Points: 5 • sRC level: 5.4 • sRC Points: 10 • lexile: 820l
JLG: $9.00 • Dial: $16.99 • JlG Month: MaR 2008
*NEW* The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies
and Other Warped and Creepy Tales
by David Lubar
B GROUP (GRADES 5–7) • Reviews: BL, CL, SLJ
“It started last week. Though I guess it would make
more sense to say it started next week. . . .” So
begins “Yesterday Tomorrow,” in which time moves
backward before moving forward again—in a most
unpleasant way. In other stories in this collection, an
umbrella eats a boy, a girl casts a spell on herself and
can’t stop talking, and two boys battle it out to see
who can eat the hottest pepper. Thirty-five original
“warped and creepy” tales range from scary to weird
to disgusting to silly. Author notes on story
ideas and origins.
Isbn: 9780765320995 • Dewey: f • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 192 pp
aR level: 4.2 • aR Points: 6 • sRC level: 3.3 • sRC Points: 10 • lexile: 590l
JLG: $13.25 • starscape: $15.95 • JlG Month: MaY 2009
Beneath My Mother’s Feet u
by Amjed Qamar
C GROUP (GRADES 6–9) • Reviews: BCCB, H, HGs, K, SLJ
Though her parents urge her to, fourteen-year-old
Nazia doesn’t want to get married, as it will mean
leaving school and her hometown, Karachi, Pakistan.
Besides, she barely knows her fiancé, an older cousin.
Then, misfortune befalls Nazia’s family: her father
suffers an injury at his construction job, and Nazia’s
dowry is stolen. Destitute and desperate, Nazia’s
mother pulls her out of school so that they can clean
houses to support their family. With Nazia’s newly
degraded status, marriage seems unattainable, and
education just an absurd dream.
Isbn: 9781416947288 • Dewey: f • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 208 pp
aR level: 4.9 • aR Points: 8 • sRC level: 4.7 • sRC Points: 14 • lexile: 770l
JLG: $9.00 • atheneum: $16.99 • JlG Month: seP 2008
Benny and Omar
by Eoin Colfer
C GROUP (GRADES 6–9) • Reviews: BCCB, BL, HG, KL, PW, WM
No wonder Benny’s grumpy when he moves from
Ireland to Tunisia—he lives on a compound, his
parents are stricter than ever, he has hippies for
teachers, and all his classmates seem to hate him!
Then Benny befriends a local boy, Omar, who
learned English from TV and who takes Benny on
some great adventures. Still, something’s bothering
Benny: “Where’s your family, Omar?” To which
Omar replies, “No Homer. No Marge.”
Isbn: 9781423102816 • Dewey: f • 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" • 288 pp
aR level: 4.0 • aR Points: 8 • sRC level: 3.4 • sRC Points: 1.5 • lexile: 600l
JLG: $9.00 • Hyperion: $18.95 • JlG Month: aUG 2007
The Big Field u
by Mike Lupica
SM GROUP (GRADES 7–11)
Reviews: BL, HG, K, KLH, PW, SLJ, V, WM
Hutch loves baseball. He knows the stats and the
history, he’s the captain of his team, and he’s the
best shortstop in town. He just wishes his dad, a
former baseball player, would notice. When Darryl,
“the LeBron James of baseball,” joins the team and
takes over at shortstop, Hutch’s dad suddenly starts
showing up at games. Soon after, Hutch finds his dad
practicing with Darryl, something his dad hasn’t done
with Hutch in years. Hutch can’t hide his anger any
longer, but will it ruin the game he loves?
Isbn: 9780399249952 • Dewey: f • 6" x 9" • 240 pp
aR level: 5.3 • aR Points: 8 • sRC level: 7.6 • sRC Points: 15 • lexile: 970l
JLG: $9.00 • Philomel: $17.99 • JlG Month: JUn 2008
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