The Underneath
By Kathi Appelt, drawings by David Small
Atheneum, $16.99
Ages 10-14 years
The quiet and mysterious tone is everything here. Gar Face, a scarred and embittered trapper, hunts the biggest gator he has ever seen. A cat and her kittens befriend Gar Face’s much-abused dog. This is also about snakes, trees, shape-shifters and just how long hate can survive, told in 124 short chapters. Be patient early on.
No Cream Puffs
By Karen Day
Wendy Lamb, $15.99
Ages 10-13 years
It’s 1980, in a small town in southern Michigan, and 12-year-old Madison wants to play baseball on a boys’ team. Author Karen Day prevents her from being just a poster child because Madison cares about many things. She wishes her mother would work on her eyebrows. And will anyone else notice that her left breast pokes out perfectly through the “o” of the sponsor’s name on her jersey?
Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow
Tor, $17.95
Ages 13-15 years
In a not-too-remote future, high school students are under heavy surveillance. For the first two chapters, you’ll think it’s just a story about techno kids playing hooky, but soon it’s a tale about a teenage hacker versus the Department of Homeland Security. Takes a “What if . . . ?” and explores it thoughtfully.
Follow the Line Around the World
By Laura Ljungkvist
Viking, $16.99
Ages 5-8 years
Beginning on the cover, a dark line winds from page to page, showing sights from around the world, and beyond. Good crossgenerational read.
It’s a Money Thing
By The Women’s Foundation of California, illustrated by Susan Estelle Kwas
Chronicle, $12.99
Ages 12-15 years
That job you want? How much education does it take, what might you have to pay for rent, for food, for transport? A bridge between lifestyle dreams and financial realities.
