September 13th, 2011
Bun, Bun Button
By Patricia Polacco, $17.99 (hardcover), Penguin, ISBN 978-0399254727
Paige loves cuddling with Gramma and all of Gramma’s pets in the Old Blue Chair. And when Gramma makes her Bun Bun Button, an adorable homemade stuffed bunny with a button nose, this special time becomes even more cozy. Then a balloon carries the little bunny away. Bun Bun braves honking geese and a wide night sky, until luck – or love – magically brings her back home to the little girl who loves her. This heartwarming story celebrates the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren, and is perfect for children who imagine their toys have secret adventures when no one’s watching.
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PIE
By Sarah Weeks, $16.99 (hardcover), Scholastic, ISBN 978-0545270113 
A story about family, friendship, and…pie! When Alice’s Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world -famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.
Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a pie storm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner … including Alice’s mother and some of Alice’s friends. The whole community is going pie-crazy . . . and it’s up to Alice to discover the ingredients that really matter. Like family. And friendship. And enjoying what you do.
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Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter
By Tedd Arnold, $6.99 (hardcover), Scholastic, ISBN 978-0545312868
A hilarious new Fly Guy adventure — when Fly Guy joins Buzz’s class on a trip to a flyswatter factory, it’s the “best field trip ever!”
When Fly Guy goes to school with Buzz, they learn that his class is taking a field trip to a flyswatter factory! BAD NEWZZ! Fly Guy tries to hide in Buzz’s pocket, but when the tour guide starts insulting flies, Buzz cannot help but stick his head out. A robotic flyswatter named the Super Swatter detects Fly Guy, and Fly Guy causes a hilarious ruckus in his efforts to escape.
At the end of this zany adventure, the flyswatter factory announces an end to its factory tours and the students use their free flyswatters as art to celebrate the “best field trip ever!”
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Lights on the Nile
By Donna Jo Napoli, $16.99 (hardcover), HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0061667930
Kepi is a young girl in ancient Egypt, content to stay home with her family, helping her father, who was wounded in the construction of a pyramid for the cruel pharaoh Khufu. But that was before she and her pet baboon, Babu, were kidnapped and held captive on a boat bound for the capital city, Ineb Hedj. And when Kepi and Babu are separated, she knows she has only one choice: to make her way to the capital on her own, rescue Babu, and find a way to appeal to the pharaoh. Khufu is rich and powerful, but Kepi has her own powers, deep inside her—ones she herself doesn’t even know about yet.
Donna Jo Napoli, acclaimed author of Zel and Beast, revisits the fabled origin of fairies in this strikingly orig-inal and affecting novel of friendship.
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Starring Katy Duck
By Gordon Kormon, $12.99 (hardcover), Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-0545298391
Are you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.
Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world’s most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over. They even thought they’d won. But Amy and Dan were wrong.
One by one, distress calls start coming in from around the globe. Cahills are being kidnapped by a shadowy group known only as the Vespers. Now Amy and Dan have only days to fulfill a bizarre ransom request or their captured friends will start dying. Amy and Dan don’t know what the Vespers want or how to stop them. Only one thing is clear. The Vespers are playing to win, and if they get their hands on the Clues . . . the world will be their next hostage.
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The Medusa
By Gordon Kormon, $12.99 (hardcover), Scholastic, ISBN 978-0545298391
Are you ready to save the world? The bestselling series returns with an adventure spanning 6 explosive books, 2 secret-filled card packs, and a website that places readers right in the action.
Thirteen-year-old Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they belonged to the world’s most powerful family. They thought the hunt for 39 Clues leading to the source of that power was over. They even thought they’d won. But Amy and Dan were wrong.
One by one, distress calls start coming in from around the globe. Cahills are being kidnapped by a shadowy group known only as the Vespers. Now Amy and Dan have only days to fulfill a bizarre ransom request or their captured friends will start dying. Amy and Dan don’t know what the Vespers want or how to stop them. Only one thing is clear. The Vespers are playing to win, and if they get their hands on the Clues . . . the world will be their next hostage.
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Bird in a Box
By Andrea Davis Pinkney, $16.99 (hardcover), Hachette, ISBN 978-0316074032
Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they’ve all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won’t stop fighting for what they want. And they’re also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those of Joe Louis, as he fights to become the heavyweight boxing champion.
Andrea Pinkney masterfully weaves in factual information about Joe Louis and actual radio commentary from his fights, enriching the narrative of this uniquely rendered and beautifully written novel.
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Wodney Wat’s Wobot
By Helen Lester, $16.99 (hardcover), Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0547367569
When Wodney must face off against that big bully Camilla Capybara for a second time, a talking robot becomes his secret weapon. The meek wodent . . . er, rodent . . . hero with a speech impediment and a heart of gold is back! So is Camilla Capybara—the BIG bully who makes poor Wodney and his classmates tremble. But this time, Wodney has a secret weapon: a robot that helps him pronounce his r’s and seems to be just the thing to scare Camilla away for good. With the second empowering tale about Wodney, Lester and Munsinger use their signature dose of humor to remind us that the little guy can finish first, and it’s often brains—not brawn—that save the day.
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Twinkle, 
Twinkle Little Star
By Jerry P inkney, $16.99 (hardcover), Hachette, ISBN 978-0316056960
One of the m ost acclaimed children’s book illustrators of our time now takes his legendary skill with watercolor to new heights in this lavish visual adventure. As a curious little chipmunk leaves his nest to greet the twilight, he gazes at the glittering sky above him. He can’t help but also notice the sparkling dewdrops on a spider’s web, the lights of the fireflies, and the shimmers of moonlight on the water. “How I wonder what you are!” marvels the tiny creature, launching a d ream like quest to reach for the stars.
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Crouching Tiger
By Ying Chang Compestine, $16.99 (hardcover), Candlewick, ISBN 978-0763646424
Vinson is very excited when his grandfather comes from China for a visit. When Grandpa practices tai chi in the garden, Vinson asks to learn, hoping it will be like kung fu, full of kicks and punches. But tai chi’s meditative postures are slow and still, and Vinson quickly gets bored. He can’t understand why Grandpa insists on calling him by his Chinese name, Ming Da, or why he has to wear a traditional Chinese jacket to the Chinese New Year parade. As the parade assembles, however, he notices the great respect given to his grandfather and the lion dancers under his training. And when Vinson is offered a role in the parade, he realizes that being part Chinese can be pretty cool—and is ready to start learning from his grandpa’s martial-arts mastery in earnest.
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Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade
By Melissa Sweet, $16.99 (hardcover), Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0547199450
Who invented the first balloons for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Meet Tony Sarg, puppeteer extraordinaire! Everyone’s a New Yorker on Thanksgiving Day, when young and old rise early to see what giant new balloons will fill the skies for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Who first invented these “upside-down puppets”? In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Melissa Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America—the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy’s Parade.
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My Weird School Daze, 21 Series Box Set
By Dan Gutman, $80.00, HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0062022714
This is a silly series for beginning readers. At Ella Mentry School, all the grownups are quite weird in their own weird way. The main Characters are A.J. (a boy who doesn’t like school) and his arch-enemy Andrea Young (who loves school and everything else A.J. hates).
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Titanic (Trilogy)
By Gordon Korman, Scholastic, $5.99 (#1 – 978-0545123310, #2 – 978-0545123327, #3 – 978-0545123334)
The ultimate action/adventure trilogy begins, with #1 bestselling author Gordon Korman plunging readers into the heart of the Titanic.
The Titanic is meant to be unsinkable, but as it begins its maiden voyage, there’s plenty of danger waiting for four of its young passengers. Paddy is a stowaway, escaping a deadly past. Sophie’s mother is delivered to the ship by police – after she and Sophie have been arrested. Juliana’s father is an eccentric whose riches can barely hide his madness. And Alfie is hiding a secret that could get him kicked off the ship immediately.
The lives of these four passengers will be forever linked with the fate of Titanic. And the farther they get from shore, the more the danger looms. . . .
In Book #2 The Titanic has hit the high seas–and moves steadily toward its doom. Within the luxury of the cabins and the dark underbelly of the ship, mysteries unfold–a secret killer who may be on board, a legacy that may be jeopardized, and a vital truth that will soon be revealed. For Paddy, Sophie, Juliana, and Alfie, life on the Titanic brings both hiding and seeking, as their lives become irrevocably intertwined.
And then, of course, an iceberg appears, and the stage is set for the final scene.
Book #3 – The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable – the largest passenger steamship in the world, one of the biggest and most luxurious ships ever to operate.
For Paddy, Sophie, Juliana, and Alfie, the Titanic is full of mysteries – whether they’re to be found in the opulent first-class cabins and promenade decks or the shadows in the underbelly of the ship. Secrets and plans are about to be revealed – only now disaster looms, and time is running out. The four of them need to find the truth, unmask the killer…and try not to go down with the ship.
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My Weirder School Series
By Dan Gutman, $3.99 (paperback), Harper Collins
Miss Child Has Gone Wild! (978-0061969164)
The third grade has won a weird contest, so they get to go on a field trip to the zoo. That’s how they meet Miss Child, the weirdest zookeeper in the history of the world. She thinks animals are smarter than people! She thinks elephants can paint pictures! She keeps snakes in her pockets for fun! Guess who’s going to wind up in a cage with a lion?
Mr. Harrison is Embarrassin’
(978-0061969188)
Mr. Harrison, the tech guy at Ella Mentry School, can fix anything: computers, phones, pencil sharpeners. He can also build anything, like a solar-powered umbrella. What a nerd! But when the power goes out in the school, everyone is yelling and screaming and freaking out in the dark. Can Mr. Harrison save the day?
Mrs. Lilly is Silly! (978-0061969201)
It’s Career Day at Ella Mentry School! Mrs. Lilly is a reporter for the local paper. She’s going to come help the kids make their own newspaper, all about the school. What will happen when A.J. and the gang become investigative reporters? Who’s going to get fired? Who’s going to end up in jail?
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Jewish Holiday Series
By Roni Schotter
HANUKKAH! (978-0316034777, LB Kids)
This glowing picture book focuses on one family’s celebration of Hanukkah. It’s the eighth and final night of the holiday and Mama, Papa and Grandma Rose are lighting the menorah, while the children–Nora, Dan, Ruthie, Sam and baby Moe–begin their own preparations for the family celebration. Nora and Dan make latkes, Ruthie makes decorations, Sam makes clay dreidels and tries to teach baby Moe how to say “Hanukkah.” The festive family meal is followed by songs, dances and gifts. Finally, as the evening ends and the candles burn low, Moe giggles “Hanuk-kah!”
PURIM PLAY (978-0761458005, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
In Schotter’s clever introduction to Purim, the show must go on, even if two performers have the flu. Every year, Frannie, her brother Ezra, and their two cousins put on a Purim play, reenacting the Bible story of how Queen Esther saved the Jews from the evil prime minister Haman. When her cousins fall ill and can’t perform, Frannie is disappointed that her neighbor Mrs. Teplitzky offers to play one of the roles. But her worries are soon put to rest when Mrs. Teplitzky, who used to be a real actress, arrives in a splendid costume.
PASSOVER MAGIC (978-0761458425, Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books)
The creators of Hanukkah! here offer an affectionate portrait of a family Passover seder, with text and pictures chockablock with intricate, often amusing details. The star of this beguiling brood is Uncle Harry, a part-time prestidigitator whose profession may be “pulling teeth out of people’s mouths” but whose true love is “pulling rabbits out of people’s hats.” From his arrival with gifts galore and a new bride (“This is my lucky charm-this is my Eda”), Harry’s high jinks confirm the tale’s originality.
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Polar Bear Scientists
Now I Know My ZBC’s
Little White Rabbit
