Juvenile Fiction for Ages 9-11
Selected by Ann Sayers, Reference & Youth Services Librarian.
Scheduled to be published in the Times Union on 1/2006.
| Title: Barry, Boyhound Author: Spearman, Andy Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers 2005 Move over Captain Underpants: this is over-the-top-made-for-boys stuff. Poor Barry wakes up one morning to discover he is a dog. This book is packed full of goofy humor. There are lots of wacky digressions, but it all adds up to the perfect 3rd-to-5th grade boy book. |
| Title: Defiance Author: Hobbs, Valerie Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2005 This is a spare, touching story of an 11 year old cancer survivor who forges an unlikely friendship with an aging poet and her tired old cow. Along the way, Toby learns some lessons about life. This book was more or less overlooked by the critics; it is excellent. |
| Title: A Dog’s Life--the Autobiography of a Stray Author: Martin, Ann Publisher: Scholastic Inc. 2005 For all dog people, this is what the title implies, a first person account of an orphaned puppy. Plenty of dog action: hunting, playing, amidst all the dangers of the big bad world. “Squirrel” loses both her brother, and her one real (dog) friend in the world, and faces growing old alone, until she meets an aging lady who gives her a home. |
| Title: I, Coriander Author: Gardner, Sally Publisher: Dial 2005 A first rate book, set in London during Cromwell’s violent "reign." Coriander is the daughter of Eleanor, who is a "cunning woman" (an herbalist). Coriander’s mother also turns out to have connections to the world of the fairies. Magic and suspense combine here, adding up to a fine story. |
| Title: The Lady Grace Mysteries Author: Finney, Patricia and others (writing as Lady Grace) Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers 2005 Starting with Assassin and Betrayal, these A-B-C titles will be a series of suspense novels filled with vivid, visceral, detailed descriptions of what life was like in the Elizabethan era. The narrator is a spunky 13 yr. old orphan who serves in the court, and has a fresh and utterly believable voice. |