Braille Book Review November-December 2012 Volume 81, Number 6 About Braille Book Review Braille Book Review is published bimonthly in braille, large-print, and online formats and distributed at no cost to blind and physically handicapped individuals who participate in the Library of Congress reading program. It lists braille books and magazines available through a network of cooperating libraries and carries news of developments in library services. The braille edition also lists NLS audiobooks appearing in Talking Book Topics with brief annotations. The annotated list in this issue is limited to titles recently added to the national collection, which contains thousands of fiction and nonfiction titles, including bestsellers, classics, biographies, romance novels, mysteries, and how-to guides. Some books in Spanish are also available. To learn more about the wide range of books in the national collection, access the NLS International Union Catalog online at loc.gov/nls or contact your local cooperating library. Braille Book Review is available online in HTML and plain text at www.loc.gov/nls/bbr. Patrons enrolled in the Web-Braille service may download contracted braille files for use with braille output devices. About Web-Braille Most books and all magazines listed in Braille Book Review are available for download for use with braille output devices. To use the Web-Braille service contact your cooperating library. Music scores and instructional materials Individuals registered for NLS music services may receive braille and large-print music scores, texts, and instructional recordings about music and musicians through the NLS Music Section. For more information about the NLS music collection call 1-800-424-8567, send an e-mail to nlsm@loc.gov, or visit www.loc.gov/nls/music/index.html. Where to write Order braille books through your local braille-lending library. To change or cancel a Braille Book Review subscription complete the form on the inside back cover and mail it to your local braille-lending library. To find your library check the last pages of this magazine or go online to www.loc.gov/ nls/find.html. Patrons who are American citizens living abroad may request delivery to foreign addresses by contacting the overseas librarian by phone at (202) 707-5100 or e-mail at nls@loc.gov. Send correspondence about editorial matters to: Publications and Media Section, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress, Washington DC, 20542-0002. Library of Congress, Washington 2012 Catalog Card Number 53-31800 ISSN 0006-873X Contents: In Brief Books for Adults Nonfiction Fiction Books for Children Nonfiction Fiction Braille Magazines ### In Brief Newsstand The following announcements may be of interest to readers. The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped reserves the right to publish announcements selectively, as space permits. The items mentioned, however, are not part of the NLS program and their listings do not imply endorsement. Toll-free diabetes helpline The Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation provides a toll-free helpline for non-emergency questions about the condition available from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday–Friday, Eastern Time. Call 1-800-941-4635 to speak to a registered nurse who is a certified diabetes educator. Typical questions concern blood glucose goals, nutrition, medication regimens, and finding a diabetes doctor or research center. Braille music course Hadley School for the Blind is offering a new braille music course. Braille Music Basics is designed for sighted or partially sighted individuals who want to transcribe print music into braille, teach braille music to students, or support a braille- reading musician. The five-lesson class, which is free, was created by musician and braille transcriber Ruth Rozen. Completion of Braille Music Basics Diagnostic, which assesses a person’s ability to read print music and read and produce uncontracted braille, is a prerequisite for Braille Music Basics. For more information visit www.hadley.edu, call 1-800- 526-9909, or e-mail student_services@ hadley.edu. Descriptive-video movies available in Regal cinemas Regal Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the largest movie theater chain in the United States, is providing descriptively narrated movies in its theaters nationwide. Closed-captioning and descriptive narration have been added to Regal theaters with the rollout of their digital cinema technology. Show times for descriptive-video and closed- captioned movies are listed by state at www.regmovies.com/Theatres/Captioning- and-Descriptive-Video. ### _Books for Adults_ The following books were recently produced for the NLS program. To order books, contact your braille-lending library. _Note:_ For the information of the reader, a notice may appear immediately following the book description to indicate occurrences of violence, strong language, or explicit descriptions of sex. The word "some" before any of these terms indicates an occasional or infrequent occurrence, as in "some strong language." Adult Nonfiction Naming Nature: The Clash between Instinct and Science BR 18661 by Carol Kaesuk Yoon 3 volumes Biologist examines the human drive to identify and name plants and animals in our environment. Discusses the history and evolution of taxonomy. Includes information on the father of scientific classification, Carl (Carolus) Linnaeus, and on naturalist Charles Darwin. 2009. BR 18661 ## The Life You Want: Get Motivated, Lose Weight, and Be Happy BR 19331 by Bob Greene and others 3 volumes Author and Oprah fitness expert Greene teams up with psychologist Kearney- Cooke and nutritionist Jibrin to examine barriers to weight loss. Offers tips on overcoming emotional eating, poor body image, and aversion to exercise, discomfort, and pain. Provides instructions for creating motivational tools, including lifestyle logs and goal-setting worksheets. 2010. BR 19331 ## Dewey’s Nine Lives: The Legacy of the Small-Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions BR 19342 by Vicki Myron 3 volumes Author of Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (BR 17821) recounts more memories of Dewey, who warmed the hearts of readers in Spencer, Iowa, and elsewhere. Also shares anecdotes received from correspondents around the country about other cats. 2010. BR 19342 ## African-American Writers: Multicultural Voices BR 19343 by Amy Sickels 2 volumes Examines the lives and works of eight renowned African American authors. Includes short biographies, summaries, and literary analyses on Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Ernest J. Gaines, Walter Dean Myers, Alice Walker, August Wilson, Charles Johnson, and Gloria Naylor. For senior high and older readers. 2010. BR 19343 ## Chicken Soup for the Soul: Children with Special Needs; Stories of Love and Understanding for Those Who Care for Children with Disabilities BR 19351 by Jack Canfield and others 3 volumes Accounts of rearing children who have autism, juvenile diabetes, Down syndrome, or other mental and physical disabilities by parents, relatives, and caregivers. Contributors share their challenges, setbacks, and successes as they discuss adjusting, expressing gratitude, reaching milestones, dealing with sibling rivalry, early learning, breaking barriers, and fostering independence. 2007. BR 19351 ## Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero BR 19434 by Michael Hingson 2 volumes Michael Hingson recounts his escape from the North Tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Hingson, blind since birth, describes his and his guide dog Roselle’s experience as she led him down seventy-eight flights of stairs to safety. 2011. BR 19434 ## Braille Books, 2009–2010 BR 19485 by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped 2 volumes A catalog of braille books produced during 2009 and 2010 by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Separate sections list nonfiction and fiction by subject categories. Young adult books and uncontracted braille books are also included. 2012. BR 19485 ## Adult Fiction Jude the Obscure BR 18655 by Thomas Hardy 5 volumes Jude Fawley is forced to marry Arabella, who later abandons him. Jude moves to the town of Christminster, where he meets and falls in love with his freethinking cousin Sue. Jude and Sue opt to live together unmarried, defying social and religious convention. First published in 1895. 1998. BR 18655 ## She Shoots to Conquer: An Ellie Haskell Mystery BR 18771 by Dorothy Cannell 3 volumes Lost and driving in thick fog, Ellie, her husband, and Mrs. Malloy stop at Mucklesfeld Manor for directions. They learn the manor’s lord will marry a participant in the reality-television show scheduled to be filmed at the estate. But one early-arriving contestant has driven into a ravine and died. 2009. BR 18771 ## Shadow of Betrayal BR 18776 by Brett Battles 3 volumes After body-disposal expert Jonathan Quinn, from The Cleaner (BR 17435), experiences a botched operation in Ireland, he is dispatched to New York City, where Christopher Jackson, an intelligence director, has been murdered. Quinn, framed for the crime, tracks down the culprits. Violence and strong language. 2009. BR 18776 ## A Troubled Peace BR 18781 by L.M. Elliott 2 volumes 1945. World War II pilot Henry Forester, from Under a War-Torn Sky (BR 14673), returns home to Virginia and struggles with nightmares. Henry ventures to France to find a boy who saved his life and is shocked at the lingering devastation. Some violence. For senior high readers. 2009. BR 18781 ## Cat Playing Cupid: A Joe Grey Mystery BR 18786 by Shirley Rousseau Murphy 3 volumes Molena Point, California. Tomcat Joe Grey’s human housemate Clyde finally marries his sweetheart. Meanwhile, Joe’s feral friends discover amid the ruins of an old estate a body and a book that reveals the cats’ hidden speaking abilities. Joe finds links to a ten-year-old case of a missing bridegroom. 2009. BR 18786 ## Fever Dream BR 18932 by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 3 volumes Twelve years after his wife Helen was killed in Africa, FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast learns that her death was not an accident. With the help of NYC cop Vincent D’Agosta, Pendergast pursues the killer—and discovers Helen’s secrets. Violence and strong language. Bestseller. 2010. BR 18932 ## When You Least Expect It BR 19344 by Whitney Gaskell 3 volumes West Palm Beach couple India and Jeremy Halloway decide to adopt after fertility treatments fail. Through an adoption attorney, India and Jeremy meet pregnant, impoverished manicurist Lainey Walker, who dreams of becoming a reality-TV star. Lainey moves in and becomes part of the family—but later has second thoughts. 2010. BR 19344 ## House Made of Dawn BR 19345 by N. Scott Momaday 2 volumes Rural New Mexico. Native American Abel returns home to his grandfather’s house after fighting in World War II but is unable to adjust to the dying Indian culture or the white world. Some violence and some descriptions of sex. Pulitzer Prize. 1966. BR 19345 ## To Desire a Wicked Duke BR 19350 by Nicole Jordan 3 volumes England, 1817. Two years after Tess Blanchard’s fiancé is killed, his rakish cousin Ian Sutherland, the duke of Rotham, sees Tess kissing an actor and declares he can do better. Forced to wed Ian, Tess is unaware that he has always loved her. Explicit descriptions of sex. 2011. BR 19350 ## The Gift: Witch and Wizard BR 19352 by James Patterson and Ned Rust 2 volumes After escaping imprisonment and execution by the totalitarian regime known as the New Order, powerful siblings Wisty and Whit Allgood become leaders of the Resistance. Though wanted, the Allgoods continue to defy the government. Sequel to Witch and Wizard (BR 18902). For senior high readers. 2010. BR 19352 ## The Fall: The Strain Trilogy, Book 2 BR 19353 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan 3 volumes Disgraced Centers for Disease Control official Dr. Eph Goodweather struggles to contain the vampire virus that has taken over New York City—and to protect his son from his ex-wife, who has been infected. Meanwhile war develops between the Old and New World vampires. Violence and strong language. 2010. BR 19353 ## Awakened: House of Night BR 19355 by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 2 volumes In this sequel to Burned (BR 19119), high priestess Neferet swears vengeance on Zoey. Meanwhile, Queen Sgiach is grooming Zoey as her replacement, and everyone’s relationships are changing. Strong language and some violence. For senior high readers. 2010. BR 19355 ## The Dark and Hollow Places BR 19384 by Carrie Ryan 3 volumes Annah waits alone for Elias to return and listens to the moaning of the Dark City dying around her, while longing to find her way back home to her family. Sequel to The Dead-Tossed Waves (BR 19078). Some violence and some strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2011. BR 19384 ## Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle BR 19386 by Ann B. Ross 3 volumes North Carolina. During a blizzard, elderly Miss Julia helps deliver Hazel Marie’s twin babies. When a dead body is found in a neighbor’s toolshed, Miss Julia investigates. She also searches for the person who has been writing bad checks in her name. 2011. BR 19386 ## The Silenced BR 19389 by Brett Battles 3 volumes Professional cleaner Jonathan Quinn, from Shadow of Betrayal (BR 18776), is hired to remove the remains of a body hidden for twenty years inside the walls of a London building that is about to be demolished. But the job endangers Quinn’s family. Violence and strong language. 2011. BR 19389 ## Then Came You BR 19431 by Jennifer Weiner 3 volumes Gold digger India finally snares billionaire husband Marcus. Unable to conceive, the couple hires Princeton senior Jules to donate eggs and married mother Annie to carry the baby. But Marcus’s daughter Bettina vows to expose India’s past and drive her away. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2011. BR 19431 ## Happy Birthday BR 19432 by Danielle Steel 2 volumes Three people start out miserable on their landmark birthdays but end up happy. Aging style guru Valerie Wyatt turns sixty unattached, Valerie’s single daughter April is thirty and pregnant, and quarterback-turned- sportscaster Jack Adams faces fifty alone. Bestseller. 2011. BR 19432 ## Nana’s Gift and The Red Geranium BR 19439 by Janette Oke 2 volumes Two inspirational short stories. In Nana’s Gift ninety-three-year-old Lizzie helps her great granddaughter overcome tragedy. In The Red Geranium Tommy brings his Gran a gift to cheer her up while she is in the hospital. 1995. BR 19439 ## ### _Books for Children_ The following books were recently produced for the NLS program. To order books, contact your braille-lending library. Children’s Nonfiction Fourteen Cows for America BR 19002 by Carmen Agra Deedy 1 volume Upon returning to his village in Kenya, Kimeli tells his people about the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001. In response, the Maasai villagers present fourteen cows—symbolic of life—as an offering to grieving Americans. Afterword by Kimeli Naiyomah. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3 and older readers. 2009. BR 19002 ## Sam Patch: Daredevil Jumper BR 19023 by Julie Cummins 1 volume Recounts the short career of Sam Patch (1807–1829), who combined his skills as a natural-born jumper and expert swimmer to successfully leap 120 feet into Niagara Falls, but who failed a 125-foot jump on Friday, November 13, 1829, at Genesee Falls. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2009. BR 19023 ## Once upon a Twice BR 19026 by Denise Doyen 1 volume One moonlit night a young mouse named Jam ignores the elders’ warnings and sits alone near the lake—the perfect prey for a water snake. Written in nonsense verse. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2009. BR 19026 ## I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History’s Strangest Cures BR 19050 by Carlyn Beccia 1 volume Examines old folk cures for coughs, wounds, stomachaches, and other common ailments, such as the use of live frogs to treat sore throats in Medieval Europe. Presents multiple possible remedies for eight illnesses then explains why each would—or would not—actually work. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2010. BR 19050 ## Space, Stars, and the Beginning of Time: What the Hubble Telescope Saw BR 19348 by Elaine Scott 1 volume Recounts discoveries about the universe—seeing a star being born, tracking a galaxy light-years away, verifying the existence of dark energy—made since 1990 by scientists using the Hubble telescope. Discusses the 2009 mission to update Hubble so it could continue probing the mysteries of the cosmos. For grades 4-7. 2011. BR 19348 ## Dizzy Dinosaurs: Silly Dino Poems BR 19388 edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins 1 volume Nineteen short poems about different dinosaurs. “School Rules” warns dinosaurs not to eat their classmates. “Oops!” finds Carcharodontosaurus upset when his tooth pops out. Includes a guide to pronouncing dinosaur names. For grades K-3. 2011. BR 19388 ## Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters BR 20002 by Barack Obama 1 volume President Obama praises thirteen American citizens—including Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez—whose contributions shaped our country. Expresses hope that these heroes will inspire his daughters and all children to pursue their own unique gifts and build up our nation. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3 and older readers. 2010. BR 20002 ## Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave BR 20003 by Laban Carrick Hill 1 volume Discusses the creative work of South Carolina slave Dave (1834–1864), who made large clay pots and jars—some of which he inscribed with poems. PRINT/ BRAILLE. For grades K-3. Coretta Scott King Award; Caldecott Honor Book. 2010. BR 20003 ## Children’s Fiction Blueberries for Sal BR 17335 by Robert McCloskey 1 volume One day in Maine, Little Sal goes blueberry picking with her mother. Little Bear also comes with his mother to eat blueberries on the other side of the hill. There is quite a mix-up when the little ones stray from their mothers. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. Caldecott Honor Book. 1948. BR 17335 ## Woods Runner BR 18934 by Gary Paulsen 1 volume Western Pennsylvania, 1776. When a band of British soldiers and Indians attack his homestead and kidnap his parents, thirteen-year-old Samuel uses his hunting skills to track his captive parents. He encounters the enemy’s cruelty in full force along the way. Some violence. For grades 6-9. 2010. BR 18934 ## Bubble Trouble BR 19022 by Margaret Mahy 1 volume Mabel blows a bubble that bobbles over her baby brother and wafts him away. This results in a wild chase not only by Mabel and her mother but by the whole neighborhood. Story in rhyme. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2008. BR 19022 ## And Then Comes Halloween BR 19024 by Tom Brenner 1 volume When autumn chills the air and crunchy leaves fall from trees, it is time to prepare for Halloween: decorating the house, carving pumpkins, and making costumes. Finally you go trick-or-treating with your friends and share the spooky fun. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2009. BR 19024 ## Otis BR 19025 by Loren Long 1 volume A scared little calf calms down after she’s placed near a softly putt-puffing tractor named Otis. They become inseparable—until the farmer buys a big yellow tractor and retires Otis. But when the calf gets stuck in Mud Pond, only her special friend can rescue her. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2009. BR 19025 ## The Clock Struck One: A Time-Telling Tale BR 19027 by Trudy Harris 1 volume Expanded version of “Hickory Dickory Dock.” A cat chases the mouse who ran up the clock, followed by other animals and some people too. By midnight all the tired creatures fall asleep in a heap. Includes a fact section on time- telling using analog and digital clocks. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2009. BR 19027 ## I Know Here BR 19047 by Laurel Croza 1 volume To prepare for moving far away, a third-grade girl draws a picture of all the things she likes in her rural Saskatchewan home—the dirt road, trailers, river, beaver dam, frogs, and forest animals—then folds it up to take with her when she leaves for Toronto. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. Globe-Horn Book Award. 2010. BR 19047 ## Small as an Elephant BR 19349 by Jennifer Richard Jacobson 2 volumes Maine. On a camping trip with his mother, eleven-year-old Jack, an expert on all things elephant, wakes up alone—his mother has deserted him. Jack does not panic or ask an adult for help, but instead sets out to find her on his own. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2011. BR 19349 ## The Trouble with May Amelia BR 19436 by Jennifer L. Holm 2 volumes Washington State, 1900. Living with seven brothers and a Finnish father who thinks girls are useless is difficult for twelve-year-old May Amelia. So May Amelia eagerly translates for her father when a man offers to buy their farm. Sequel to Our Only May Amelia (BR 17367). For grades 5-8. 2011. BR 19436 ## The Penderwicks at Point Mouette BR 19441 by Jeanne Birdsall 2 volumes Skye, Jane, and Batty Penderwick depart for two weeks in Maine with their Aunt Claire and are separated from their oldest sister Rosalind for the first time. This leaves Skye in charge as the OAP—oldest available Penderwick. Sequel to The Penderwicks on Gardam Street (BR 18090). For grades 4-7. 2011. BR 19441 ## April and Esme, Tooth Fairies BR 20001 by Bob Graham 1 volume Tiny April Underhill, age seven and three-quarters, and her sister Esme, age six, convince their parents to let them journey for the first time into the huge world of humans—on a mission to collect Daniel Dangerfield’s tooth tonight and leave him a coin. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2010. BR 20001 ## ### Braille Magazines The following is a list of braille magazines in the Library of Congress program. Readers may obtain free personal subscriptions to these magazines. For information on the availability of specific magazines, consult the library that send you braille materials. Boys' Life (for children and teens, monthly) Braille Book Review (bimonthly) Braille Chess Magazine (British quarterly) Braille Music Magazine (British monthly) Conundrum (British monthly) Cooking Light (11 issues) ESPN: The Magazine (biweekly) Harper's (literary; monthly) Health Newsletters (includes Harvard Health Letter, Mayo Clinic Health Letter, and University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter; monthly) Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine (monthly) Ladies' Home Journal (11 issues) Martha Stewart Living (home and entertaining; monthly) Muse (for children; 9 issues) Musical Mainstream (NLS quarterly) National Geographic (monthly) The New York Times Book Review (weekly) The New York Times Large Print Weekly (weekly) News (NLS quarterly) Parenting Early Years (11 issues) Parenting School Years (11 issues) PC World (personal computing; monthly) Playboy (11 issues) Poetry (11 issues) Popular Communications (monthly) Popular Mechanics (monthly) Popular Music Lead Sheets (irregular) Rolling Stone (popular culture; 24 issues) Science News (26 issues) Seventeen (for teens; 10 issues) Short Stories (British monthly) Spider: The Magazine for Children (9 issues) Stone Soup (children's writings; 6 issues) Update (NLS quarterly) Schedules for the following sports leagues are also available: American Baseball League National Baseball League National Basketball Association National Football League National Hockey League Women’s National Basketball Association ###