spring/summer 2011 recent releases — young & middle grade
spring/summer 2011 recent releases — young & middle grade
spring/summer 2011 recent releases — young & middle grade
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Middle Grade CD Library<br />
60<br />
THE SEVEN WONDERS OF<br />
SASSAFRAS SPRINGS<br />
by Betty G. Birney; read by Joseph Butler<br />
In the <strong>summer</strong> of 1923, Eben McAllister<br />
longs to escape the boring small farming<br />
community of Sassafras Springs and do some<br />
exploring of his own. Pa, tired of Eben’s moping,<br />
challenges him to find Seven Wonders in<br />
Sassafras Springs in seven days.<br />
“Joseph Butler’s excellent narration aptly<br />
portrays the novel’s down-home narrative style.<br />
The tall-tale tone of each story will engage<br />
listeners.”<strong>—</strong>School Library Journal<br />
3 CDs • 978-0-7393-3633-5 • $30.00<br />
Grade: RL: 4.8 • IL: 3-7 • LL: 790 • 3 hrs. 37 mins.<br />
SHADOW OF A BULL<br />
by Maia Wojciechowska<br />
read by Francisco Rivela<br />
NEWBERY MEDAL<br />
Manolo Olivar, son of the greatest bullfighter<br />
in Spain, struggles to retain his pride,<br />
self-respect and independence.<br />
“Will strike a responsive chord with <strong>young</strong><br />
listeners.”<strong>—</strong>School Library Journal<br />
“Rivela reads with an intimacy perfect for<br />
<strong>young</strong> Manolo’s darkly pained tone.”<br />
<strong>—</strong>AudioFile<br />
ALSC Notable Children’s Recording<br />
3 CDs • 978-0-7393-6440-6 • $30.00<br />
Grade: RL: 5.8 • IL: 5-12 • LL: 740 • 3 hrs. 33 mins.<br />
THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER<br />
by Elizabeth George Speare<br />
read by Greg Schaffert<br />
NEWBERY HONOR<br />
Alone in the Maine wilderness, 12-year-old<br />
Matt is left to guard the new homestead while<br />
his father travels to collect the rest of the<br />
family. As winter approaches, Matt must<br />
decide whether to wait for his father’s return or<br />
start a new life with the Beaver tribe.<br />
“Schaffert’s fine, crystal clear narration brings<br />
the story to life.”<strong>—</strong>School Library Journal<br />
“Matt joins other memorable characters, Kit,<br />
Julie, and Karana, finding his inner strength<br />
and values in a changing world in this wellwritten<br />
and fast-reading story.”<br />
<strong>—</strong>Horn Book Magazine<br />
Scott O’Dell Award<br />
3 CDs • 978-1-4000-8498-2 • $30.00<br />
Grade: RL: 6.1 • IL: 5-8 • LL: 770 • 3 hrs. 9 mins.<br />
See page 63 for THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD<br />
POND<br />
THE SLAVE DANCER<br />
by Paula Fox; read by Peter MacNicol<br />
NEWBERY MEDAL<br />
A 13-year-old boy is kidnapped and brought<br />
aboard a slave ship, where he plays music that<br />
will entice the slaves to exercise.<br />
★“A story that movingly and realistically<br />
presents one of the most gruesome chapters of<br />
history...”<strong>—</strong>Booklist, starred review<br />
AudioFile Earphones Award<br />
4 CDs • 978-0-7393-6432-1 • $30.00<br />
Grade: RL: 5.9 • IL: 5-8 • LL: 970 • 4 hrs. 2 mins.<br />
SIMON BLOOM,<br />
THE GRAVITY KEEPER<br />
by Michael Reisman<br />
read by Nicholas Hormann<br />
Simon Bloom ‘s life changes forever when he<br />
finds a special book that enables him to control<br />
the laws of physics. He can cancel gravity and<br />
decrease friction. When two thugs come after<br />
Simon, he must use the formulas to save himself<br />
and the book.<br />
“This is great escapist fare for those smart<br />
<strong>middle</strong>-<strong>grade</strong> readers who are fascinated by<br />
science, magic, and adventure.”<strong>—</strong>Booklist<br />
“Makes scientific concepts interesting and<br />
accessible.”<strong>—</strong>Publishers Weekly<br />
6 CDs • 978-0-7393-6218-1 • $50.00<br />
Grade: RL: 4.9 • IL: 4-8 • LL: 690 • 7 hrs. 22 mins.<br />
SIMON BLOOM<br />
THE OCTOPUS EFFECT<br />
by Michael Reisman<br />
read by Nicholas Hormann<br />
Simon and company enter a mysterious<br />
undersea realm to find Sirabetta before she can<br />
restore her powers and get revenge.<br />
“Hormann meets the challenge of a large cast<br />
of characters and multiple settings with an<br />
abundance of accents that differentiate and add<br />
color...Hormann embraces the story’s inventive<br />
spirit, leading listeners through adventure and<br />
intrigue.”<strong>—</strong>AudioFile<br />
8 CDs • 978-0-7393-7983-7 • $50.00<br />
Grade: RL: 4.9 • IL: 4-8 • LL: 690 • 9 hrs. 26 mins.<br />
SPELLBINDER<br />
by Helen Stringer READ BY THE AUTHOR<br />
12-year-old Belladonna sees ghosts, which is<br />
a good thing. After her parents are killed, their<br />
ghosts live with her<strong>—</strong>until they vanish along<br />
with every other ghost in the world.<br />
Belladonna must uncover what’s become of the<br />
spirits.<br />
“A fast-paced plot and intricate world pull the<br />
listener along, but it’s Bella’s love for her parents<br />
and her need to keep them with her that<br />
linger.”<strong>—</strong>Booklist<br />
“It is rare that an author is as entertaining a<br />
writer as narrator, yet Helen Stringer captivates<br />
in this reading of her first novel,<br />
Spellbinder.”<strong>—</strong>Sound Commentary<br />
“Helen Stringer’s British accent provides the<br />
perfect backdrop to Belladonna’s English<br />
hometown…the pacing is perfectly varied to<br />
match the dramatic and emotional highs and<br />
lows of the plot.”<strong>—</strong>School Library Journal<br />
7 CDs • 978-0-3077-4574-3 • $50.00<br />
Grade: RL: 5.5 • IL: 4-9 • LL: 840 • 9 hrs.<br />
See page 4 for THE MIDNIGHT GATE<br />
Phone Toll Free 800.733.3000 FAX Toll Free 800.940.7046<br />
STAND TALL<br />
by Joan Bauer; read by Ron McLarty<br />
Tree’s the tallest seventh <strong>grade</strong>r in school, and<br />
people expect big things. But he’s not good at<br />
basketball, he looks old, and his parents’<br />
divorce is all too new. Tree struggles to stand<br />
tall despite his problems.<br />
“[McLarty] renders the voices of adolescents<br />
and adults, male and female, solidly and naturally...worthy<br />
of Bauer’s fine novel.”<strong>—</strong>KLIATT<br />
4 CDs • 978-0-8072-1772-6 • $38.00<br />
Grade: RL: 3.9 • IL: 5-9 • LL: 520 • 4 hrs. 9 mins.<br />
See pages 66, 72, and 75 for more<br />
Joan Bauer titles<br />
THE STEPS<br />
by Rachel Cohn; read by Caitlin Greer<br />
When Annabel sees how happy her father is<br />
with his new family she needs to figure out<br />
whether she can share him.<br />
“Caitlin Greer brings adolescent enthusiasm<br />
and stuck-up attitude to spare to her skillfull<br />
characterization of 12-year-old Annabel...”<br />
<strong>—</strong>Publishers Weekly<br />
“The narrative is fast, sometimes laugh-outloud<br />
funny, and reveals insight into families<br />
and individuals.”<strong>—</strong>School Library Journal<br />
3 CDs • 978-0-3075-8256-0 • $38.00<br />
Grade: RL: 5.3 • IL: 3-7 • LL: 860 • 3 hrs. 6 mins.<br />
STORMBREAKER<br />
by Anthony Horowitz<br />
read by Nathaniel Parker<br />
They told Alex that his uncle died in an accident.<br />
He knows his uncle was killed while on a<br />
top-secret mission. Now, Alex must outsmart<br />
the people who want him dead.<br />
★“[Listeners] will cheer for Alex Rider, the 14year<br />
old hero of British author Horowitz’s spy<br />
thriller.”<strong>—</strong>Publishers Weekly, starred review<br />
4 CDs • 978-0-7393-3590-1 • $38.00<br />
Grade: RL: 5.1 • IL: 5-12 • LL: 670 • 4 hrs. 37 mins.<br />
THE STORY OF CIRRUS FLUX<br />
by Matthew Skelton; read by Jon Smith<br />
London, 1783. Merciless villains are conniving<br />
to steal the world’s most divine power,<br />
which they believe orphan Cirrus Flux has<br />
inherited. Cirrus must trust some unlikely<br />
allies to thwart his foes and survive a terrifying<br />
showdown.<br />
“This breathless adventure will satisfy most listeners.”<strong>—</strong>School<br />
Library Journal<br />
“Jon Smith appropriately paces the narration<br />
right to the story’s climactic conclusion.”<br />
<strong>—</strong>AudioFile<br />
6 CDs • 978-0-3077-0637-9 • $50.00<br />
Grade: RL: 6.0 • IL: 3-6 • LL: NA • 6 hrs. 38 mins.<br />
See page 69 for ENDYMION SPRING