Braille Book Review

September-October 2012

Books for Children

Fiction

Al Capone Shines My Shoes         BR 18675
by Gennifer Choldenko
2 volumes
Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan, from Al Capone Does My Shirts (RC 58456, BR 15982), lives on Alcatraz Island with other guards' families. Moose faces a dilemma when Al Capone calls in a favor: a prison escape that would involve Moose's autistic sister Nat. For grades 6-9. 2009.

Dust Devil        BR 19042
by Anne Isaacs
1 volume
When Swamp Angel moves to Montana in 1835, she rearranges the mountains and jumps on a whirlwind that turns out to be a horse that digs the Grand Canyon. Then Angel rides her horse Dust Devil to chase down Backward Bart and his mosquito-riding desperadoes. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 2010.

Rain School        BR 19044
by James Rumford
1 volume
In a village in Chad, Africa, students learn to build a school of mud bricks before classes can begin for the year. After nine months, classes stop and the big rains start, washing the bricks away—but the children's new knowledge is safe inside them. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 2010.

Lawn Boy Returns         BR 19259
by Gary Paulsen
1 volume
With advice from a stockbroker, a twelve-year-old lawn boy has more money than he imagined possible. But wealth attracts complications involving his growing workforce, the prizefighter he sponsors, long-lost relatives, and vacationing parents. Sequel to Lawn Boy (BR 17582). For grades 5-8. 2010.

Heart of a Samurai: Based on the True Story of Manjiro Nakahama         BR 19327
by Margi Preus
2 volumes
1841. Marooned on a remote island and near starvation, fourteen-year-old Manjiro and four fishing companions are rescued by an American whaling ship. Manjiro joins the crew and is the first Japanese man to come to America. Still, he dreams of going home to be a samurai. For grades 5-8. Newbery Honor Book. 2010.

Departure Time         BR 19332
by Truus Matti
2 volumes
Alternating chapters tell of a girl sheltering in a hotel with a talking fox and a human-sized rat for company and a girl grieving for her father, who died shortly after she wrote him an angry letter. Translated from Dutch. For grades 6-9 and older readers. Batchelder Honor Book. 2009.

Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph         BR 19339
by Jack Gantos
1 volume
Rotten Ralph, a cat, and his owner Sarah, a girl, try out for the Fighting Squirrels baseball team. Ralph is more interested in being a superstar than actually playing, while Sarah's weeks of practice pay off. Four short chapters. For grades 2-4. 2011.

A Brand-New Day with Mouse and Mole         BR 19340
by Wong Herbert Yee
1 volume
After moths eat holes in Mole's shirts and pants, Mouse helps him buy new clothes and surprises him by patching his old clothes in a special way. Meanwhile Mole finds a new use for an old tire to surprise Mouse. Four-chapter beginning reader. For grades K-3. 2008.

Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery         BR 19346
by Kathleen Ernst
1 volume
New Mexico, 1826. Josefina has always heard tales about buried treasure and a ghostly weeping woman. But it takes the arrival of a mysterious stranger to make her think the stories might be true. For grades 3-6. 2006.

Rotten Ralph Feels Rotten         BR 19347
by Jack Gantos
1 volume
After eating out of trash cans again, Rotten Ralph wakes up with a tummy ache. Sarah takes him to the vet and Ralph learns not to eat junk food. Easy chapter book. For grades 2-4. 2004.

Bless This Mouse         BR 19371
by Lois Lowry
1 volume
Hildegarde, the mouse mistress at Saint Bartholemew's, worries about protecting all the church mice during the Blessing of the Animals, when cats will be inside. But first she must deal with her worst fear: the Great X. For grades 2-4. 2011.

Warp Speed         BR 19381
by Lisa Yee
2 volumes
Seventh-grader Marley Sandelski is a huge Star Trek fan, belongs to the AV Club, and loves to run. Yet he feels invisible--except when he's being beaten up by bullies. Unexpected events and a taste of popularity give Marley insight into classmates and himself. For grades 5-8. 2011.

Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box: The Zack Files         BR 19456
by Dan Greenburg
1 volume
Ten-year-old Zack goes to the animal shelter to find a pet. He returns with a scruffy tomcat, who not only talks but claims to be the reincarnation of Zack's great-grandpa Julius. For grades 2-4. 1996.

A Ghost Named Wanda: The Zack Files         BR 19458
by Dan Greenburg
1 volume
Zack feels that a supernatural force is at work in his apartment when he encounters floating television sets, pancakes that flip by themselves, and Wanda, an eight-year-old poltergeist. For grades 2-4. 1996.

Zap! I'm a Mind Reader: The Zack Files         BR 19459
by Dan Greenburg
1 volume
After an electrifying experiment in science class gives Zack a shock, he realizes that he can read other people's minds. Then he discovers that someone is thinking about killing someone else. For grades 2-4. 1996.

On My Honor         BR 19461
by Marion Dane Bauer
1 volume
Joel promises his father that he and his daredevil friend Tony are only going to ride their bikes to the state park. But it is a hot day, so Tony dares Joel to swim in the dangerous Vermillion River--a detour with tragic consequences. For grades 5-8. Newbery Honor Book. 1986.

A Fine White Dust         BR 19462
by Cynthia Rylant
1 volume
Unlike his parents or best friend Rufus, an atheist, seventh-grader Peter Cassidy has been an ardent churchgoer for years. When a traveling preacher man arrives in their small North Carolina town, Pete is swept up in a tide of devotion and discipleship. For grades 6-9. Newbery Honor Book. 1986.

Mystery of the Missing Luck         BR 19463
by Jacqueline Pearce
1 volume
When Sara arrives at her grandmother's bakery, she is surprised that Maneki Neko, the lucky cat statue, is not in the window. Sara is determined to find the Japanese statue and bring good luck back to the bakery. For grades 2-4. 2011.


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