Braille Book Review

May-June 2009

Books for Children

Fiction

Surviving the Applewhites      BR 17296
by Stephanie S. Tolan
1 volume
Kicked out of several public schools, Jake winds up being home schooled with an eccentric family of artists at the Applewhite's Creative Academy. When the whole clan becomes involved in producing The Sound of Music, Jake discovers a few positive traits and talents of his own. For grades 5-8. Newbery Honor. 2002.

Further Chronicles of Avonlea      BR 17577
by L.M. Montgomery
2 volumes
Anne of Green Gables lives near Avonlea, a town on the seaside hills of Prince Edward Island. In this second volume of stories about Anne's neighbors, a girl risks losing her mother to find her long-lost father, and a ghost leads a woman to her dream. For grades 5-8. 1920.

Patches and Scratches      BR 17575
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1 volume
Sarah's friend Peter wants a pet dog but his grandmother doesn't. Sarah tries to interest Peter in other pets, and then comes up with an idea to make both Peter and Granny Belle want the same animal. For grades 2-4. 2007.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen      BR 17580
by Marlane Kennedy
1 volume
Fifth-grader Mildred is determined that this year she will finally grow the town's biggest pumpkin in honor of her mother, who died of cancer. Mildred also helps in her Dad's veterinary office, goes shopping to please her aunt, and plays chess with her best friend Jacob. For grades 4-7. 2007.

Rickshaw Girl      BR 17581
by Mitali Perkins
1 volume
In her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naima excels at painting designs called alpanas. But for her to use her talent outside her home to help her impoverished family financially, she would have to be a boy—or disguise herself as one. For grades 3-6. 2007.

Night of the Howling Dogs      BR 17715
by Graham Salisbury
2 volumes
Hawaii, 1975. A Boy Scout campout on a remote beach goes terrifyingly wrong when an earthquake hits in the night. The boys and their leaders are separated during the resulting tsunami. But eighth-grader Dylan finds an unexpected ally as he and fifteen-year-old Louie rescue the group. For grades 5-8. 2007.

Nixie's Song: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1      BR 17767
by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
1 volume
Nick Vargas is annoyed that his father has remarried and stuck him with a stepsister, Laurie, who believes in faeries. But then he finds a four-leaf clover that enables him to see a water nixie. Soon he and Laurie are hunting for the nixie's missing sisters. For grades 3-6. 2007.


Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest      BR 17764
by Timothy J. Bradley
1 volume
Discusses the behavior and characteristics of the earliest sharks. Features Paleozoic sharks like the Stethacanthus from 375 million years ago, Mesozoic sharks from about 200 million years ago, and Cenozoic sharks like the 100,000-pound megalodon of 25 million years ago. For grades 3-6. 2007.


Dark Day in the Deep Sea: Magic Tree House, Book 39      BR 17741
by Mary Pope Osborne
1 volume
Jack and his sister Annie travel back in time to the 1870s and meet sailors and scientists aboard the HMS Challenger—the first ship dedicated to scientific exploration. While learning about mysterious ocean creatures, Jack and Annie discover another of the four secrets of happiness. For grades 2-4. 2008.


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