A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole
Ages 9-12
Katherine Tegen Books (February 23, 2010)
Cautions: There are some scary parts and critters are chased and then eaten.

Kiwi Magazine Review:
I couldn’t put this book down. Although I am very sensitive to books with scary parts (I am related to some kids with no tolerance for scary bits), the violence is brief and not at all gratuitous. Since the story is about a little mouse who is looking for the perfect nest, you can imagine what happens when she meets up with cats and other predators. Thankfully, little Celeste has some wild adventures but manages to make friends and remain safe, happy and stuffed with food.

One aspect of this book that I loved was that two of the characters addressed the notion of having to kill animals to be able to paint or draw them. The book references Mr. Audubon and his assistant and readers can see the evolution of their thought process that it was more humane and natural to simply draw birds in their natural habitats than capture or kill them.

The story is compelling and the characters, both animal and human, are multidimensional and interesting. The author, Henry Cole, is also a talented illustrator who enhances the book with charming charcoal drawings.

King Puck by Michael Garland
HarperCollins, 2007
Recommended readers: Ages 4-8
Cautions: none

Kiwi Bookworms Review:
With the help of fairies, Seamus and his goat, Finny, win the King Puck title at a festival in Killorglin, Ireland. Their wish? A lifetime supply of books! This story is based on a real Irish festival and the illustrations of the green hills of Ireland are a wonderful setting for this charming tale.

Publisher’s description:
The happy Irish farmer Seamus and his pet goat, Finny, seek the chance of a lifetime at the King Puck Festival. And as Seamus and Finny’s adventure unfolds, you’ll adore finding the fairies hidden in each of the radiant illustrations. Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s oldest and most unusual fair, king puck is a jig-reeling, kid-appealing tale of friendship, fun, and fairy magic!

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3 Willows by Ann Brashares

Random House,  January 2009

Recommended readers – 12+

Cautions: Teenage crushes, divorce

Description from publisher:

summer is a time to grow

seeds


Polly has an idea that she can’t stop thinking about, one that involves changing a few things about herself. She’s setting her sights on a more glamorous life, but it’s going to take all of her focus. At least that way she won’t have to watch her friends moving so far ahead.


roots

Jo is spending the summer at her family’s beach house, working as a busgirl and bonding with the older, cooler girls she’ll see at high school come September. She didn’t count on a brief fling with a cute boy changing her entire summer. Or feeling embarrassed by her middle school friends. And she didn’t count on her family at all. . .

leaves


Ama is not an outdoorsy girl. She wanted to be at an academic camp, doing research in an air-conditioned library, earning A’s. Instead her summer scholarship lands her on a wilderness trip full of flirting teenagers, blisters, impossible hiking trails, and a sad lack of hair products.
It is a new summer. And a new sisterhood. Come grow with them.

Kiwi Magazine Review

This is the new generation of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and these girls do not disappoint. Each character is rich and complex, struggling with family, friends and future as she leaves middle school behind. This book will be the first in a series of three, following the wildly popular Sisterhood series. Expect some of the same themes, but don’t expect any pants.

Congrats to Cindy for winning this title.

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Mars Needs Moms by Berkeley Breathed
Philomel, 2007
Recommended readers: Ages 4-8
Cautions: A little scary - one page looks like the mom may have expired.

Publisher’s description:
Milo doesn’t get it: What’s the big deal about moms? They’re just slavedriving broccoli bullies. Yet they are worshipped the world over! Perhaps even the galaxy over—because here come Martians and they’re after one thing only: moms. Milo’s mom in particular. Who better to drive them to soccer practice and to pizza parties? That’s quite a long way to come for a mom—could it be that Milo has been overlooking something special?

KIWI Bookworms review:
Nicknaming his mom a “broccoli bully,” this little boy feels like his mom’s purpose is to impose excessive restrictions.  Martians capture her (they need moms to drive them to soccer practice), so he travels to Mars to save her, finally realizing how much she means to him.  This story might be scary for some children; mom faints on Mars and must be revived.

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Moon Plane by Peter McCarty
Henry Holt, 2006
Recommended readers: Ages 1-4.
Cautions:
Publisher’s description:
A young boy sees a plane overhead and imagines himself in it, traveling all the way to the moon. What does he see on his way? With characteristically spare prose, Caldecott Honor winner Peter McCarty invites readers along for an imaginary trip from the earth to the moon and back again, visiting trains, planes, and boats along the way. McCarty’s luminous illustrations make the boy’s fantasy into a dreamlike journey that ends in his mother’s arms—a perfect way to end the day.
Kiwi Bookworms review:
Every child can relate to gazing skyward at airplanes and imagining what it would be like to fly a plane.  The story is simple, but the watercolor illustrations take your child to the sky, the moon, and finally to the safety of his own bed.

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The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
NY: Little, Brown and Company
Recommended readers: Ages 9-12
Cautions: Chase scenes, perhaps a little frightening

Publisher’s description:
Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they’ll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you’re gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.
KIWI Bookworms review:
This 485-page book is daunting, but it is a flashlight-under-the-covers page-turner.  Reynie Muldoon answers a classified ad for gifted children seeking special opportunities.  After passing a gauntlet of tests, he ascends the Benedict Society where he embarks on a secret mission.  Messages about confronting your fears and self-reliance shine through the intricate text.

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Adèle & Simon by Barbara McClintock
NY: Frances Foster Books
Recommended readers: Ages 4-8
Cautions:
Publisher’s description:
When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?
Kiwi Bookworms review:
Travel back to early 20th-century Paris with siblings Simon and Adèle. Simon can’t keep track of his belongings and leaves them all over famous places in Paris, all beautifully illustrated in an old-world style.
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Minutka, The Bilingual Dog by Anna Mycek-Wodecki

Milet, 2007

Recommended Readers: 2+

Cautions:

Publisher’s Description:

Meet Minutka, a lovable, playful dog who is bilingual: she is fluent in English and Spanish! Minutka even dreams in both languages!

She shows us how much fun it is to be in a family, to play around the house and garden and with friends, and to be bilingual.

With beautifully expressive, witty illustrations and a highly contemporary design, Minutka delights readers of all ages. Anyone who has ever known or loved a pet will instantly recognize and laugh at what Minutka does: how she shakes paw, snatches socks, runs in circles . . . Minutka is for everyone: you don’t need to be a child or bilingual to be entertained and entranced by this lovable dog!

KIWI Bookworm Review:

Minutka is a charming little bilingual dog who even dreams in two languages. In this version, Minutka speaks Polish and English, although other languages are available. Milet offers a wide range of bilingual books and dictionaries for children in more than 25 languages.

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One of the Gang by Gina Clowes

AuthorHouse, 2008

Recommended Readers- 9-12

Cautions:

Publisher’s Description:

Families of children with food allergies know that this invisible condition requires constant vigilance. The necessity of keeping these children safe cannot be overstated; however, their emotional well-being is equally important. Food is used in almost every type of celebration, and is often a focal point of these events. Even in day-to-day life, food is everywhere. Children who have food allergies may be excluded from many of these activities. Some seem to take it in stride, while others feel varying degrees of sadness, anger, or fear. This book was meant to shed light on the emotional side and to help children cope with these challenges. It also serves as a reminder that even though this condition must be managed on a daily basis, it need not stop them from enjoying a wonderful life and becoming everything they were meant to be. I hope this book will validate the feelings these children may have and encourage them to talk about them. It is also my sincere desire that some of the words and photographs will allow others a glimpse at the way that these children experience the world. Maybe next time, you will be one of the grown-ups who allow an allergic child to be “one of the gang!”

KIWI Bookworm Review:

Finally, a book written for kids which helps them deal with the emotional side of food allergies.  The coolest parts about this book are that the author, Gina Clowes, really knows her stuff when it comes to kids with food allergies and she shows many famous adults who have managed their food allergies and gone on to greatness.  

 
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The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Random House 2008

Recommended readers – 3-8

Cautions: All clear

Publisher’s Synopsis

“UNLESS someone like you…cares a whole awful lot…nothing is going to get better…It’s not.“

Long before saving the earth became a global concern, Dr. Seuss, speaking through his character the Lorax, warned against mindless progress and the danger it posed to the earth’s natural beauty.

Kiwi Bookworm Review:

Who knew that Dr. Seuss’ Lorax would be the original “Inconvenient Truth?” Originally published in 1971, this book was way ahead of its time and I bet we all wish we had heeded the advice of the Lorax. But, this classic will never go out of style and the newest edition is printed on recycled paper.

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