I FEEL A LITTLE JUMPY AROUND YOU
edited by Naomi Shihab  Nye and Paul B.  Janeczko
Simon & Schuster;ISBN: 0689805187;$17;1996

An unusual collection of paired poems by male and female poets reflects the similar and different ways women and men view their lives.

Suggested for ages 14 - 16
Subjects: Men | Women

THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY
by Jacqueline Woodson
Delacorte;ISBN: 0385321899;$14.95;1997

Stagerlee's coming-of-age story deals with both racism and sexuality. The daughter of a black father and a white mother, Stagerlee discovers much about herself during a summer she spends with her cousin Tyler.

Suggested for ages 13 - 16
Subjects: Biracial | Cousins | Homosexuality | Interracial Marriage | Lesbians

NO MORE STRANGERS NOW: YOUNG VOICES FROM A NEW SOUTH
interviewed by Timothy McKee
DK Ink;ISBN: 0789425246;$19.95;1998

Great hope and grim realism combine in these interviews with South African teens from both sides of the social and racial divide, leaving the reader with a compelling wish for a better world for all of these young people.

Suggested for ages 13 - 16
Subjects: Interracial

THE UGLY DUCKLING
by Hans Christian Andersen
illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Morrow;ISBN: 068815932X;$16;1999

The American countryside is the setting for this new edition, illustrated with beautifully composed watercolors that convey all the action and drama of the duckling's quest for a place he belongs

Suggested for ages 6 - 8
Subjects: Caldecott Honor | Fairy Tales | Swans

THE RAFT
by Jim LaMarche
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0688139779;$15.95;2000

Beautiful watercolors illustrate the story of a young boy, reluctantly spending the summer at his grandmother’s house on the river, as he discovers the joys of exploration on the family raft.

Suggested for ages 5 - 8
Subjects: Grandmothers | Nature | Rivers | Wildlife

PATCHES LOST AND FOUND
by Steven Kroll
illustrated by Barry Gott
Winslow;ISBN: 1890817538;$16.95;2001

Jenny loves to draw pictures, especially of her guinea pig, Patches; what she doesn’t like is writing stories. When Patches disappears, she learns to put words and pictures together. Cartoon-style digital art complements the text — perfect to share with budding authors and artists.

Suggested for ages 5 - 8
Subjects: Drawing | Pets | Schools

THE HIDDEN ALPHABET
written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
ISBN: 0761319417;$17.95;

An alphabet book in which windows open to reveal the letters hidden within each picture.

Suggested for ages 4 - 8
Subjects: Alphabet

THE RACE TO SAVE THE LORD GOD BIRD
by Phillip Hoose
Melanie Kroupa;ISBN: 0374361738;$20;2004

An environmental and ecological thriller about the demise of the ivory-billed woodpecker encompasses history, politics, and ornithology in a marvelously gripping narrative accompanied by excellent photographs.

Suggested for ages 14 and up
Subjects: Ecology

STARTING WITH ALICE
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Atheneum;ISBN: 068984395X;$15;2002

Growing up with a father and big brother but without a mother presents challenges, both sad and funny, to an eight-year-old. This first of three prequels to a popular series makes the Alice stories available to younger readers.

Suggested for ages 7 - 10
Subjects: Schools

THE LEGEND OF THE WANDERING KING
by Laura Gallego García
Arthur A. Levine;ISBN: 0439585562;$16.95;2005

Motivated by jealousy and the desire to receive acclaim as a great poet, Walid ibn Huyr, a prince of ancient Arabia, commits acts which completely change the course of his life.

Suggested for ages 12 - 18
Subjects: Middle East | Poets

A LONG WAY GONE: MEMOIRS OF A BOY SOLDIER
by Ishmael Beah
Sarah Crichton;ISBN: 9780374105235;$22;2007

In plain but inspiring prose, this heart-rending account of a boy soldier's life during the civil war in Sierra Leone is distinguished by a matter-of-fact approach to horrific circumstances which makes the events powerfully real.

Suggested for ages 14 and up
Subjects: Africa | War