Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

"Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all."
Emily Dickinson

Frannie doesn't know what to make of the poem she's reading in school. She hasn't thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more "holy." There is a new boy in her class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although he looks like a white kid, he says he's not. Who is he?

During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light--her brother Sean's deafness, her mother's fear of having another miscarriage, the class bully's anger, her best friend's faith and her own desire for "the thing with feathers."

Give the Gift: 10 Fulfilling Ways to Raise a Lifetime Reader by Matthew Gollub

Matthew Gollub makes a very strong case for the vital part that parents and other caregivers play in the literacy of their children. He highlights the many important choices they make every day. Furthermore, he says: "One of our most important choices is how we support our children in reading. Our attitude toward reading, and our encouragement, mean more to our children than our level of expertise." Gollub begins with a fundamental recommendation--"Read to your child every day."

The book has a lively and colorful comic book format so that adults who read it are not overwhelmed with text. Hints appear on every page to illustrate successful strategies. They are hints like "cuddle your child when reading aloud" and "Librarians want to help you. Introduce your child and ask for suggestions."

The author devotes ample attention to the challenge that TV and video games make to reading by devoting a whole section to "how to save kids from too much electronic media." And he tackles the special techniques which are useful for connecting with teenagers through books, libraries and other sources.

All in all, this large format book with its family-friendly illustrations and sensible, straightforward language is chock-full of ideas for getting your child's attention, encouraging reading and modeling behaviors which benefit them for a lifetime.
Some portions of the book are available in 8-page literacy booklets in Spanish or English. See www.matthewgollub.com for more information.

Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine

This is the true story of Henry, who dreams of a world where his life belongs to him. But when his family is sold to another slave owner, he risks everything. With the strength and conviction of the best kind of hero, Henry makes a harrowing journey in a wooden crate--and mails himself to freedom.
Kadir Nelson's luminous paintings bring this story alive for children, helping them to see and imagine what it was like to fit in that box and bump along to another place--and to anticipate freedom.

For readers 8-12.

Dragon Dancing by Carole Lexa Schaefer

In this very large and playful picture book, there are dragons, sparkly paper, ribbons, spangles and squiggles. Children put them them all together using their imaginations.
The result? A dragon dance of joyful exhuberance, a birthday celebration in which all the children can participate.

For ages 3 and up, to the delight of the adults who love them, read to them, play with them.

Red Moon at Sharpsburg by Rosemary Wells

India Moody lives in northern Virginia with her family. They are caught in the whirlwind and chaos of the Civil War. India, at 14, has intense questions about the war: why is it happening, is it about slavery, why do some neighbors fight for the North while others don uniforms for the South? Underneath it all is the unspoken question: what is war really like and why do people pursue it, often to hopeless ends?
Wells uses the probing of India as she navigates between her parents, the oncoming Union troops, freed slaves, and ravaged neighbors to ask these important questions which are contemporary in the age of Iraq and Afghanistan. She experiences the horrors of a battlefield while she presses to find her father who is in charge of ambulances and care of the wounded in his Rebel regiment.
Although the story of Civil War chaos and struggle has been told many times, this book offers a unique opportunity to readers, their parents and teachers to look at the issues it raises and come to their own conclusions.

Big Alaska: Journey Across America's Most Amazing State by Debbie S. Miller

See Alaska through the eyes of our national symbol, the bald eagle. That is the intriguing focus of this journey to some of the extraordinary places in an extraordinary state, Alaska.
Author Debbie S. Miller writes often and skillfully about her home state; here she emphasizes the distinct size and unique features of the forests, mountains, and parks of Alaska. Illustrator Jon Van Zyle creates visual portraits of the wildlife, natural features and special locations which are featured, such as Denali National Park, the Iditarod Trail and the Yukon River and its tributaries.
This nonfiction book will delight young readers(8-12) and others who are eager to "see" Alaska for themselves. Miller is a totally reliable source about all aspects of this special place; she includes descriptive facts, state symbols,and climate records to expand her readers' store of information. Teachers and librarians will want to include the book in their contemporary US geography collections because of its beauty and accuracy.

The New Policeman by Kate Thompson

This excellent teen novel was originally published in England by Greenwillow Books. It features Irish teen J.J. Liddy who discovers that time is "leaking" from his Irish world into the land of the fairies. When he attempts to stop the leak, especially because his mother has requested a gift of more time in her life, he finds out a lot about the history of his musical family. It seems his parents and grandparents, and now J.J. and his sibs, have been playing, composing and sharing the folk music of their area for as along as anyone can remember. The fiddle J.J. plays had belonged to his grandda, a fiddle with a story. So J.J. sets out to enter another land and learn music and background from the little people.
Lyrical, magical, humorous and practically brimming over with Irish tunes both on the page and in the lilt of the story, this is a great read for anyone ages 10-16.