Young Adult

Review: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

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In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He’s embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life- he’s leaving home to build a better future for his family.

Shaun Tan evokes universal aspects of an immigrant’s experience through a singular work of the imagination. He does so using brilliantly clear and mesmerizing images. Because the main character can’t communicate in words, the book forgoes them too.

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Review: Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro by Satoko Kiyuduki

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Regularly mistaken for a boy and/or a vampire, the traveler Kuro roams the land, clothed in black from head to toe, a Kuro-sized coffin on her back. Accompanied by her snarky bat friend, Sen, the mysterious duo meets all sorts of individuals en route – some good, some evil, some just plain crazy! But Kuro never stays in one place for long, begging the question: What exactly is she searching for? And what exactly does she intend to do with that coffin?!

Told in 4-koma (four panel) style and peppered with full-color pages, Satoko Kiyuduki’s debut captures all the whimsy of the most memorable fairy tales!

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Review: The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

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Adventure, mystery and history are all wrapped into this eerie Halloween story about eight costumed boys who are whisked away on a kite through time and space to search for the meaning of Halloween.

It was the night of All Hallow’s Eve… a night of darkness and of dreams… of moonlight peering through the cobwebs of time and velvet silence splintered by tormented cries…

And through the streets of town raced a fiendish band–shrieking, howling, pounding on doors. “Trick or Treat” screamed the skeleton, as from every house the chilren extorted candy in the traditional blackmail of Halloween. But the last house was different. From within the black depths came Mr. Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud… a monster… a magician… a product of the night itself… who became their guide on a kite-flying, broomstick-riding trip back into the history of All Hallow’s Eve…

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Review: The Xanadu Adventure by Lloyd Alexander

ABC Historical FictionPart of the A-Zed Historical Fiction Review project
X is for Xanadu Adventure, The

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“Miss Vesper Holly leads an active life. In the half-dozen years since my wife, Mary, and I, Professor Brinton Garrett, have been her guardians, I have seen her deal calmly and efficiently with erupting volcanoes, floods, earthquakes, exploding sausages, and other stressful events. The dear girl likes to keep busy.”

Lloyd Alexander’s beloved Indiana Jones-style heroine, Vesper Holly, is back for one last adventure. Delving into the mystery of the origins of Western civilization, Vesper and her friends set out for the site of the legendary Troy, only to fall into a trap laid by the despicable Dr. Helvitius.

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Review: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

ABC Historical FictionPart of the A-Zed Historical Fiction Review project
I is for Island of the Blue Dolphins

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In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind.

This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building a shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs. It is not only an unusual adventure of survival, but also a tale of natural beauty and personal discovery.

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Review: Korgi by Cristian Slade

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KORGI is a woodland fairytale about a young mollie named Ivy, her korgi cub Sprout, and their amazing adventures in Korgi Hollow. In the first volume of this all-ages graphic novel series, Ivy and Sprout discover some interesting things about themselves as they stray from their village and face danger for the first time. more »

Review: Chickenhare: The House of Klaus by Chris Grine

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Front cover of Chickenhare: The House of KlausWhat do you get when you cross a chicken with a hare? The funniest, most exciting all-ages graphic novel of all time! Night is falling on the frozen landscape as Chickenhare and his turtle friend Abe find themselves on their way to be sold to Klaus-an insane taxidermist with a penchant for unique animals and enough emotional baggage to go on a very long vacation! With the help of two mysterious new companions (not to mention a very friendly, very dead goat!), Chickenhare and Abe might be able to escape… Right into the lair of the deadly cave-dwelling critters known as the Shromph!…er, Shromps? Shromphses? more »

Review: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

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Front cover of A Year in Provence

Welcome to Pippi. An absurd and rollicking story of Pippi who lives without any grownups in a little house at the edge of the village. Not that she lives alone-Mr. Nilsson, the monkey, and Horse live there too; and Tommy and Annika from next door spend as much time with her as possible. And who wouldn’t, for with Pippi around you just never can tell what may happen next. The matter-of-fact way in which her absurd adventures are related is one of the chief charms of this story, full of the kind of hilarity that appeals to children.

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Review: The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition By Lewis Carol

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Front cover of The Annotated Alice

Un-abridged versions of Lewis Carroll’s classic works Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass with hundreds of annotations by Martin Gardner, one of the world’s leading authorities on Carroll. The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition fulfills the vision Gardner has had since the appearance of the first Annotated Alice, published over forty years ago. Perfect for children, families, and scholars, this charming and magnificent annotation of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece should find a place in every household.

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Review: A Little Book of Monsters by Llyn Hunter

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Front cover of A Little Book of MonstersSince the dawn of time, humans have imagined strange creatures to be the servants of the gods, bringers of good and ill fortune, and things that go bump in the night. Within is a small sampling of these beings from across the world and time, described in simple verse for enlightenment and pleasure.

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February 2012
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