NYPL's Children's Books 2011: Chapter Books
Annotation:When Dresden is bombed during World War II, the animals in the zoo are endangered. Lizzie and her family rescue beloved elephant Marlene while keeping away from the invading army.
Place a Hold
Annotation:In this updated take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, Hazel must rescue her best friend Jack from an unfamiliar land...whether he wants to be rescued or not.
Annotation:A gaggle of authors carry readers into the creepy and unusual when they write stories to match 14 mysterious illustrations left by a mythical illustrator.
Annotation:When newsie Maks Geless's sister is framed for a burglary at The Waldorf, where she works, he teams up with a tough orphan girl to solve the mystery. Set in 1893 New York City.
Annotation:Determined to become one of the Kajuraihi - men who use dragon magic to fly on the wind - Trei undergoes serious training while his cousin Araene disguises herself as a boy to gain entrance to the secret school for mages.
Annotation:Young orphan Mosca Mye, her psychotic goose, and her con-man sidekick are trapped in a town where nighttime brings deadly dangers and leaving costs money she doesn't have. A suspenseful sequel to Fly By Night.
Annotation:Do you need something? Sixth-graders Mac and Vince can get just about anything for you - for a small fee. Everything changes, however, when a nasty teen named Staples takes over the school with an illegal gambling ring. A raucous daredevil ride.
Annotation:When Trane's mom ships him off to Philadelphia to live with the father he doesn't know, he doesn't expect to find a horse in the house and a stable in the yard.
Annotation:"Once upon a time a girl named September, grew very tired indeed of her parents' house..." Taken to a magical land by Green Wind, September must find a way to defeat Fairyland's evil ruler.
Annotation:Mattie Breen is so shy, she would rather be her uncle Potluck's custodial apprentice at school than the new girl in class yet again. With only a week before school starts, can she learn to come out of her shell?
Annotation:No one ever notices Solveig. No one at all. But when she and her siblings are sent by their father, the king, to an abandoned fjord in the company of his dangerous bezerker bodyguards, she finds that she is the only one who can solve the mystery of the traitor in their midst.
Annotation:When Ha and her family relocate from Vietnam to Alabama in 1975, she discovers her family's inner strength despite the challenges of a new language, culture shock, and the neighborhood bully.
Annotation:Imagine if your father owned you. Told through the eyes of two of Thomas Jefferson's children with the slave Sally Hemings this novel presents history in a way never before seen in fiction for children.
Annotation:Every year, Alice loves to spend her birthday with her favorite people at Sanibel Island, but this year everything is changing and she doesn't like it.
Annotation:When a smooth-talking con man slides into small-town Iowa, it's up to Tugs Button, a girl with a family that can't do anything right, to save everyone she knows from ruin.
Annotation:Every night at 12:07 the monster comes. Only Conor can see it and hear the stories it tells. And only Conor can give it the one thing it wants: the truth.
Annotation:Jack is in a new place with new problems, among them a bully named Clayton and parents who can't seem to remember who he is. But not all is as it seems, and as the surreal landscape of Hazelwood begins to unravel, Jack must discover his place in the world.
Annotation:Doug would rather be anywhere but the crummy small town his family has moved to. Then he discovers an old book in the library and learns he might be more than the loser his father makes him out to be.
Annotation:In a future London, the city is being dismantled brick by brick in search of a precious artifact. Cass and Wilbur team up with two mysterious strangers in a race against time to save the world.
Annotation:Andi is meeting her Filipino half-brother Bernardo for the first time. When she sees him, she can hardly believe her eyes - he's eight feet tall! The only thing more unbelievable is his story.
Annotation:Is there really a demon tracking Chingis and Nergui that can make them disappear? When Julie meets two boys from Mongolia who claim they're escaping from such a creature, she finds that being their "good guide" means separating fact from fiction.
Annotation:Nasty, warty witch Esmelia Sniff takes on a young apprentice to help her win the title of Supreme High Witch (and to fatten up a tasty dinner). But the surprisingly talented orphan Sam has other plans.
Annotation:In two intertwining stories - one told in words and the other only in pictures - an orphan and a lonely deaf girl find common ground in New York City despite very different lives and experiences.
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Description
As children's librarians shared this year's newest books with the children in their local libraries, it became clear that the old adage - the more things change, the more they stay the same - is truer than ever. From Xboxes to iPads, from Wii consoles to the hottest apps, technology ages in a blink of an eye, but the timelessness of a good tale will always engage even the most tech-savvy child. Here are some of the best children's novels of the 2011 year. Enjoy them with your families.
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