New York City has to be one of the greatest places in America, if not the world. Luckily for us, many authors have chronicled The Big Apple's antics in a way just right for kids.

Here are some of the books available. This is not yet a complete list, but I'm adding books to the list daily. If you wish to purchase any of these books, click on either the title or the book cover to be directed to Amazon.com. As a warning, I have put up pictures of the book covers to give you somewhat an idea of the style of each book (I know, I know. "Don't judge a book by its cover") so the pages may load slowly, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

The categories below are sorted by approximate age group and topical categories. Feel free to browse around. The same links are located on the left side of your screen. To return back to this page, simply click on the "Welcome" link on the left.

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Other Pages of Interest:
Fiction & Historical Fiction: General Books About New York City (Nonfiction) | Fiction NYC Picture Books and "Easy Reader" Stories (Ages 4-8) | Fiction NYC Books (Ages 9-12) | New York Fiction for Young Adults | New York Historical Fiction (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) | New York Historical Fiction (Ellis Island & Immigration) | New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1800s) | New York Historical Fiction (Life in the 1900s)

NYC History: New York Biographies | Native Americans from New York (History and Historical Fiction) | New York History (Colonial Period and Revolutionary War) | New York History (Immigration and Ellis Island) | New York History (The 1800s) | New York History (The 1900s) | The World Trade Center and September 11, 2001 |

NYC Locations: The Statue of Liberty | The Empire State Building | Central Park | NYC Art Museums (Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, etc.) | NYC's American Museum of Natural History | Harlem Books (Including books about the Harlem Renaissance) | Chinatown Books | Little Italy Books | The New York City Subway System | Brooklyn Books | The Bronx Books | Queens Books | Staten Island Books | Long Island Books | Upstate New York Books | New York State Books

Life and Travel in NYC: Thanksgiving in New York City | Christmas in New York City | New York Sports Teams and Players The NYC Fire Department (FDNY) and NY Police Department (NYPD) | General Books About Cities | New York City and New York State Test Preparation and Study Guides | New York Regents Review Books | Parenting in New York City | New York Travel Guides for Families with Children

NYC Toys, Puzzles, and Games (For Kids & Adults) | Amazon.com Coupon Codes

Stuart Little By E. B. White	A paperback edition of E.B. White's classic novel about one small mouse on a very big adventure! With black and white illustrations. Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of adventure. Stuart's greatest adventure comes when his best friend, a beautiful little bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure aplenty. But will he find his friend? Beloved by generations, Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little are two of the most cherished stories of all time. Now, for the first time ever, these treasured classics are available in lavish new collectors' editions. In addition to a larger trim size, the original black-and-white art by Garth Williams has been lovingly colorized by renowned illustrator Rosemary Wells, adding another dimension to these two perfect books for young and old alike. Whether you are returning once again to visit with Wilbur, Charlotte, and Stuart, or giving the gift of these treasured stories to a child, these spruced-up editions are sure to delight fans new and old. The interior design has been slightly moderated to give the books a fresh look without changing the original, familiar, and beloved format. Garth Williams's original black-and-white line drawings for the jacket of Stuart Little have also been newly colorized by the celebrated illustrator Rosemary Wells. These classics return with a new look, but with the same heartwarming tales that have captured readers for generations. Description from Publisher
The Cricket in Times Square By George Selden Spanish Edition Also Available	After Chester lands, in the Times Square subway station, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby newsstand. There, he has the good fortune to make three new friends: Mario, a little boy whose parents run the falling newsstand, Tucker, a fast-talking Broadway mouse, and Tucker's sidekick, Harry the Cat. The escapades of these four friends in bustling New York City makes for lively listening and humorous entertainment. And somehow, they manage to bring a taste of success to the nearly bankrupt newsstand. Description from Publisher One night, the sounds of New York City--the rumbling of subway trains, thrumming of automobile tires, hooting of horns, howling of brakes, and the babbling of voices--is interrupted by a sound that even Tucker Mouse, a jaded inhabitant of Times Square, has never heard before. Mario, the son of Mama and Papa Bellini, proprietors of the subway-station newsstand, had only heard the sound once. What was this new, strangely musical chirping? None other than the mellifluous leg-rubbing of the somewhat disoriented Chester Cricket from Connecticut. Attracted by the irresistible smell of liverwurst, Chester had foolishly jumped into the picnic basket of some unsuspecting New Yorkers on a junket to the country. Despite the insect's wurst intentions, he ends up in a pile of dirt in Times Square. Mario is elated to find Chester. He begs his parents to let him keep the shiny insect in the newsstand, assuring his bug-fearing mother that crickets are harmless, maybe even good luck. What ensues is an altogether captivating spin on the city mouse/country mouse story, as Chester adjusts to the bustle of the big city. Despite the cricket's comfortable matchbox bed (with Kleenex sheets); the fancy, seven-tiered pagoda cricket cage from Sai Fong's novelty shop; tasty mulberry leaves; the jolly company of Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat; and even his new-found fame as "the most famous musician in New York City," Chester begins to miss his peaceful life in the Connecticut countryside. The Cricket in Times Square--a Newbery Award runner-up in 1961--is charmingly illustrated by the well-loved Garth Williams, and the tiniest details of this elegantly spun, vividly told, surprisingly suspenseful tale will stick with children for years and years. Make sure this classic sits on the shelf of your favorite child, right next to The Wind in the Willows. Description from Amazon.com
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing By Judy Blume	Passed on from babysitters to their young charges, from big sisters to little brothers, and from parents to children, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and its cousins (Superfudge, Fudge-a-mania, and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great) have entertained children since they first appeared in the early 1970s. The books follow Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudgie, baby sister Tootsie, their neighbor Sheila Tubman, various pets, and minor characters through New York City and on treks to suburbs and camps. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the first of these entertaining yarns. Peter, because he's the oldest, must deal with Fudgie's disgusting cuteness, his constant meddling with Peter's stuff, and other grave offenses, one of which is almost too much to bear. All these incidents are presented with the unfailing ear and big-hearted humor of the masterful Judy Blume. Description from Amazon.com
Superfudge By Judy Blume	Sometimes life in the Hatcher household is enough to make twelve-year-old Peter think about running away. His worst problem is still his younger brother, Fudge, who hasn't changed a bit since his crazy capers in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. If you ask Peter, Fudge is just an older — and bigger — pain. Then Peter learns that his mom is going to have a baby and the whole family is moving to Princeton for a year. It will be bad enough starting sixth grade in a strange place and going to the same school as Fudge. But Peter can imagine something even worse. How will he ever survive if the new baby is a carbon copy of Fudge? Description from Publisher
Double Fudge By Judy Blume	Fans of Superfudge and Fudge-a-Mania will welcome the return of seventh-grader Peter Hatcher and his five-year-old brother, Fudge, who in this comical caper meet distant cousins from Hawaii. The two families unexpectedly encounter one another in Washington, D.C., where the New York City Hatchers have gone so that Fudge, who has developed an obsession with money, can visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The Howie Hatcher clan proves an eccentric lot. Twins Fauna and Flora, unironicially nicknamed the Natural Beauties, would be in Peter's grade if they weren't home-schooled; apt to break into corny songs at any moment, they perform together as the Heavenly Hatchers. Their younger brother, who shares Fudge's real name (Farley Drexel), acts like a dog, growling and licking people. And their father won't stop calling Peter's dad "Tubby." Narrator Peter grits his teeth when the Honolulu Hatchers invite themselves to Manhattan to stay in his family's cramped apartment, where nestled in their sleeping bags on the living room floor they "slept flat on their backs, like a row of hot dogs in their rolls. All that was missing was the mustard and the relish." The boy is further appalled when the twins show up at his school and convene an assembly so that they can sing. Peter's wry reactions to the sometimes outsize goings-on, Fudge's inimitable antics and the characters' rousing repartee contribute to the sprightly clip of this cheerful read. Description from Publishers Weekly A worthy successor to Superfudge and Fudge-a-Mania. Peter Hatcher is now entering seventh grade and apprehensive that no one will remember him since his family spent the past year in Princeton, NJ. Five-year-old Fudge is obsessed with money-acquiring it, talking and singing about it, and counting it. He even creates his own currency, Fudge Bucks. To try to curb this fixation, the family takes a trip to Washington, DC, to visit the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, and runs into Mr. Hatcher's long-lost cousin. Howie, his wife Eudora, twin daughters Flora and Fauna, and four-year-old son Farley are traveling through the East Coast before moving to Florida. Of course, a visit to New York City is in their plans. A few weeks later, the relatives arrive and set out their sleeping bags. Two nights turn into four, then seven, and then Howie announces that he is subletting an apartment in the building for six weeks. It is a tough time for Peter, culminating at Halloween when Fudge and Farley are trapped in the building's elevator while trick-or-treating. Peter is a real 12-year-old with all the insecurities and concerns of that age. And nothing can suppress the personality of Fudge, who even renames Washington, Fudgington. Description from School Library Journal
Harriet the Spy By Louise Fitzhugh Nickelodeon Movie Version Also Available	Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together? Description from Publisher Thirty-two years before it was made into a movie, Harriet the Spy was a groundbreaking book: its unflinchingly honest portrayal of childhood problems and emotions changed children's literature forever. Happily, it has neither dated nor become obsolete and remains one of the best children's novels ever written. The fascinating story is about an intensely curious and intelligent girl, who literally spies on people and writes about them in her secret notebook, trying to make sense of life's absurdities. When her classmates find her notebook and read her painfully blunt comments about them, Harriet finds herself a lonely outcast. Fitzhugh's writing is astonishingly vivid, real and engaging, and Harriet, by no means a typical, loveable heroine, is one of literature's most unforgettable characters. School Library Journal wrote, "a tour de force... bursts with life." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books called it "a very, very funny story." And The Chicago Tribune raved, "brilliantly written... a superb portrait of an extraordinary child." Description from Amazon.com
Harriet Spies Again By Helen Ericson	Harriet M. Welsch has just received the best news of her eleventh year—Ole Golly is coming back! Harriet can still remember how sad she was when her beloved nanny married George Waldenstein and moved away. But the circumstances of Ole Golly’s return remain unclear. Where is George Waldenstein? With Mr. and Mrs. Welsch living in France for three months, Sport confiding that he has a crush on a girl at school, and the arrival of a mysterious new neighbor, who’s going to require a whole lot of spying, Harriet already has her hands full. Then she overhears Ole Golly saying she’s innocent—but innocent of what? Harriet the Spy is on the case and ready to help Ole Golly in any way she can. Description from Publisher Purists may shudder, but Harriet the Spy is back--even though her original creator, Louise Fitzhugh, is long gone. Author Helen Ericson has developed an intriguing new episode in Harriet's life for her latest fans, many of whom were introduced to Harriet the Spy--the book--only after the movie. When Harriet's former nurse, Ole Golly (who went off to live in Montreal last year after getting married to Mr. George Waldenstein), temporarily returns to her old post in the Welsch household, Harriet is deliriously happy. Unfortunately, Ole Golly is not acting like her brisk, no-nonsense self at all, and Harriet has been instructed to "expunge" the husband from her memory. What's up? This looks like a job for our girl sleuth extraordinaire! Side plots involving Harriet's friend Sport's impending puberty and a mysterious new neighbor keep things moving along at a rapid pace, but there's no denying it: it's just not the same. Ericson captures much of Harriet's essence, but she seems to be trying too hard. And the denouement (fairly easy to figure out early on) is downright odd. Still, for those who are hungering for more Harriet, this taste serves as a nice little snack. Description from Amazon.com With the approval of Louise Fitzhugh's (author of Harriet the Spy) estate, Ericson revisits the life of Harriet M. Welsch and the executors' trust was well placed. An author's note reports that Ericson became a fan when this self-styled young spy first appeared in 1964, and her affection for the feisty character comes through in this new misadventure. Even the young detective's fascination with words and her inclination to write her notebook entries in CAPITAL LETTERS endures. When Harriet's parents leave Manhattan to spend three months in Paris, her former nanny, "Ole Golly," returns from Montreal (where she had moved with her new husband) to stay with the soon-to-turn 12-year-old. Though Harriet's mother warns her that Ole Golly has asked that no one mention her husband's name, the curious sleuth sets out to discover what transpired in Montreal. Harriet, while eavesdropping, believes she hears Ole Golly announce that she's innocent, which leads the girl to conclude that the nanny accidentally killed her husband. Meanwhile, another mystery percolates in the townhouse across the street, where husband-and-wife doctors appear to be keeping a girl captive. As Harriet doggedly attempts to crack these cases, her processing of misinformation makes for some comical scenarios. Although the novel does not plunge directly into the mystery (as Fitzhugh's works did) and a few sluggish subplots including Harriet's creation of a timeline of her life bog down the pace, overall Ericson has shaped a spirited tale and gives her follow-up to Fitzhugh's novels a fittingly timeless feel. Description from Publishers Weekly
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler By E. L. Konigsburg	Awards: Newbery Medal 1968 When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort-she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because be was a miser and would have money. Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie had some ideas, too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she bad discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too. The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her-well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home. Desciption from Publisher Claudia is bored. She's ready for a big change, but wants to make sure she does it with style. When she decides to run away, Claudia plans to be a runaway with specific goals: to be comfortable, to be changed, and to be appreciated at home. She carefully appoints a partner (her younger brother), and selects a destination (The Metropolitan Museum of Art), but there are some adventures you simply can't plan in advance. Claudia and her brother Jamie are soon embroiled in an artistic mystery even the experts can't solve, but discovering a solution to this puzzle might just help Claudia find the answer to her personal quest. Konigsburg's unique story, compelling style, and distinctive line drawings make this Newbery Medal-winner a book readers won't want to put down. Especially for children on the cusp of adolescence, Claudia's desire to be someone and her corresponding search for identity will ring true for those searching for their true selves. Description from Amazon.com
Remember Me to Harold Square By Paula Danziger	This summer could be a disaster. Kendra's parents have invited Frank, a 15-year-old she's never met, to stay with them. And they've planned a goofy scavenger hunt for the kids, including Kendra's bratty younger brother. They have to race all around New York City and visit places like the Empire State Building and the United Nations to find answers. But once they get started, Kendra doesn't mind the scavenger hunt so much, mostly because Frank turns out to be just as interesting as all of the sights. Description from Publisher Danziger celebrates New York City in this story of a teenage girl (the only one of her gang spending the summer in the city), her brother Oscar (O. K.to his friends, age 10) and Frank Lee (he's 15, from a Wisconsin farm), who all embark on a six-week-long scavenger hunt devised by their parents. The threesome, nicknamed The Serendipities, are being offered, according to their parents, "an absolutely, wonderful, marvelous educational experience in which they will search for objects, facts, people, and places." If they complete the contract, the grand prize is a trip to England for the two families. With characteristic humor, tart language and quick phrasing, Danziger's teenagers not only share a summer getting to know each other but also explore the riches of a city often perceived as dirty and dangerous. Description from Publishers Weekly Kendra Kaye, 14, is not looking forward to spending the summer in New York City with her bratty little brother, Oscar (O.K.)until her parents announce that a 15-year-old farm boy from Wisconsin is going to live with them for the summer. Both sets of parents scheme up a scavenger hunt for the three kids which forces them to explore all of Manhattan. Frank turns out to be a good-looking guy (with a girlfriend back home), and the three set out to have a good time seeing the sights of New York City. By the end of the summer, Frank's girlfriend dumps him, and his and Kendra's friendship has grown to a very close relationship. Danziger has scored a hit again with her realistic characters, believable dialogue, and smooth style. As in This Place Has No Atmosphere, she makes good use of puns and seems to have fun in developing her characters. It's refreshing to read a book whose characters develop a special friendship without the subject of sex intervening. Readers will also learn many facts about New York City (through the scavenger hunt); Danziger incorporates these into the story without making it too heavy. An entertaining story. Description from School Library Journal
Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse By George Selden	Meet Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse. No one would ever dream that a cat and mouse could become friends, but that doesn't stop Harry and Tucker. All they have is each other to depend on. Together they begin an exciting adventure throughout New York, searching for a home they can call their own. But the two friends run into some troublesome times in their journey around town. Is all hope lost? Where will they turn to next? Description from Publisher A tiny New York City mouse longs for a name and a home, finds both, and makes a friend. This early history of Tucker Mouse and Harry Kitten, that well-loved couple from The Cricket in Times Square and other books, will attract new, younger readers in this attractive large format book. The story is not as compelling reading as the first books, but never mind. For example, Tucker and Harry become friends at Harry's encouragement in order not to make life worse for each other by fightingphilosophically admirable, but dramatically ineffective. However, in the end the two show their old moxie in an exciting confrontation with three tough rats. Dialogue, rather than action, is at the fore, which limits the book's movement. It's a little slow, but children should still enjoy the characters; the pictures in the familiar Williams style, beautifully inked and sharply contrasted against the milky-bright pages with wide margins and eye-easy type; and the humorous dust jacket. Description From School Library Journal
The Adventures of Spider-Man By Michael Teitelbaum	When a genetically enhanced spider escapes from a laboratory cage and bites Peter Parker, his normal teenaged life is transformed. Suddenly, Manhattan has its own superhero -- one that can climb walls, soar through the air, and shoot spider-webbing from his hands! But danger lurks in the streets of the city -- the Green Goblin wants to take over the world, starting with New York City! Can Spider-Man keep the city safe? Or will the Green Goblin squash him like a bug? Description from Publisher DVD Also Available
2095 By Jon Scieszka	Zapped into the 21st century by The Book, the Time Warp Trio find that their future is definitely worth waiting for. Actually, waiting forever would be okay: 3-D ads attack them on the street, ray-gun toting robots demand their ID numbers--or else. And a meeting with their great-grandkids could knock out the old family tree at the roots. Will the trio's future mix-up wipe out their past? Description from Publisher This installment of the adventures of the Time Warp Trio has Fred, Joe and Sam blasting into the future when they get bored during a class trip to the museum. They find themselves ill-prepared for the future-they don't know how to evade the Sellbot threatening them with its laser, they don't have antigravity disks, and they aren't dyed unusual colors like the other New Yorkers they find. At least Ray's Pizza is the same. How will they return to 1995? And who are those three girls who keep chasing them? Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger that will urge the most reluctant reader to forge ahead. Description from Children's Literature The Time Warp Trio is back--to the future, this time, as Joe, Fred, and Sam travel to the year 2095, again courtesy of Uncle Joe's magic book. Launching their trip from the 1920s room in the Natural History Museum, the boys arrive in the future's museum, where they see the 1990s showcased in an exhibit of the past. Such ironies of time travel abound as the three encounter their great-grandchildren, who rightly strive to return their ancestors to the past. Scieszka writes with a kid's perspective at all times, blending a warp-speed pace with humor that ranges from brainy riddles to low brow upchuck jokes. Although the plot is a bit thin and meandering, readers will find sufficient distraction in the robots and levitation footwear of the future. Smith targets the audience equally well with black pencil illustrations brimming with zany, adolescent hyperbole. Description from Booklist
A Rat's Tale By Tor Seidler	Montague Mad-Rat lives a solitary existence in the sewers of New York City. His only delights are scavenging in Central Park for feathers and berries for his mother, and painting the seashells his aunt brings him. One day, he rescues the beautiful Isabel Moberly-Rat and, upon escorting her home, is introduced to a world he never knew existed. For she lives at the wharves, in a spacious crate, among rats who look down on those--like him--who make things with their paws. Suddenly Montague is ashamed. So when he hears about the campaign to save the wharves from human destruction, he does all he can to help. But how much can one rat really do, especially when he's an outcast? Description from Publisher Set on the wharfs and in the sewers of New York City, this story features young Montague Mad-Rat, a rat among rats in one of the most original, imaginative stories to appear this season. Montague, painfully shy, spends his days collecting feathers and berries for his mother to make hats from; he also paints tiny, exquisite pictures on seashells brought to him by his seafaring aunt. Montague's adventure begins when he rescues Isabel Moberly-Rat from nearly drowning in a gutter. Escorting her home, he learns that her exclusive address (Wharf 62) and family name (her father is one of ratdom's leading citizens) are far superior to his ownhe hadn't realized that some rats were "better" than others. Meanwhile, the whole rat population is being threatened with extinction from poisoning, thanks to a land-development scheme. Mr. Moberly-Rat organizes a massive RRR campaign (Raising the Rat Rent)a ransom to the humans so they'll stop the poison. Teaming up with his uncle Monty (a drunken outcast from rat society), Montague embarks on a courageous quest among humans to raise the money, and in the bittersweet finale saves the kingdom and wins the girl. Beautifully told, Seidler's fantasy never falters; it's a love story, a coming of age tale and a grand adventure. all rolled into one. Marcellino makes his debut in children's books; his wonderfully understated pencil drawings add humor and much atmosphere to the tale. If readers can get past the fact that the book's hero is a sewer rat (a not immediately lovable creature), or if they aren't bothered by the crowd scenes (the thought of a million rats gathered in Central Park may make some readers squeamish), they'll be treated to a memorable story. Adults will appreciate its humor and biting social commentary, though the subtleties won't be lost on young readers. Description from Publishers Weekly This whimsical adventure tale with a moral underpinning introduces Montague Mad-Rat, a young rat living with artistic and absent-minded parents in the sewers beneath New York City. His sheltered life is changed when he finds that the huge population of his fellow rats occupying the abandoned piers at the waterfront are in danger of total extermination; the crisis makes him doubt his self-worth, even as he tries to cope with the further discovery that a drunken uncle of his has made their name a standing joke in the rat world. Little does he realize that the salvation of ratdom depends on his own unappreciated talents as well as the despised uncle. The gentle satire of the charming story casts familiar human foibles in rodent form (his potential girlfriend's pleasingly plump mother has taken up petal arranging to take her mind off cheese), and there are some poignant scenes. Although seemingly light entertainment, the novel tackles such topics as death, strength of character, and self-acceptance, and handles them well. The book is handsomely designed, with clean bordered pages of text and expressive illustrations in tones of gray to complement Seidler's well-delineated characters. Description from School Library Journal
The Revenge of Randal Reese-Rat By Tor Seidler	Sequel to A Rat's Tale. In A Rat's Tale, Montague Mad-Rat saved the day for the wharf rats of New York City and won the affection of the she-rat of his dreams, the lovely Isabel Moberly-Rat. All ratdom hailed Montague as a hero — except for the rat whose story is at the center of this captivating sequel. A rodent of impeccable breeding and exquisite personal hygiene, Randal Reese-Rat is mad with jealousy, believing Montague has stolen his former bride-to-be. His jealousy is no secret on his wharf, and when an unthinkable crime is perpetrated against Izzy and Monty on their wedding night, Randal is the prime suspect. Now on the lam, with a price on his head and thugs on his tail, Randal involves secret friends of his in a perfect and horrible revenge on the whole rat colony, Izzy and Monty included. But his plans are hopelessly complicated when a new rat enters his life, an exotic she-rat who also happens to be the cousin of his nemesis, Montague. Description from Publisher The story opens in Africa, where Aunt Elizabeth has traveled to bring her daughter, Maggie, to New York City for the wedding of her cousin, Montague. Monty became a hero in the inaugural novel when his hand-painted seashells fetched a handsome sum, large enough to save the rodent community's wharf. On the wedding night of Monty and his fetching bride, Isabel, an arsonist sets a fire in their home and Randal Reese-Rat is the chief suspect. A "citywide rathunt" ensues, and the jealous (and, as it turns out, innocent) Randal seeks revenge on the rat community that has turned against him. Description from Publishers Weekly In this sequel to A Rat's Tale, Montague Mad-Rat is to be married to Isabel Moberly-Rat as soon as his aunt and cousin arrive from Africa. The wedding is a grand affair, but Randal Reese-Rat, Isabel's old beau, is consumed with jealousy, so when an arson fire nearly kills the newlyweds, everyone is certain that Randal is the culprit. The simple yet evocative language and the warmly depicted characters make this fantasy a delight. Randal's obsession with wild animals reveals unsuspected depths to his soul, and Cousin Maggie's songs are funny and touching. The many black-and-white illustrations, full of detail, make it clear that these lithe, sociable New York rodents have busy lives and unique personalities. This chronicle of their adventures is sure to win new fans and please old ones. Description from School Library Journal
Falcon's Egg By Luli Gray	Awards: ALA Notable Book School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year An enchanting world of secrets and magical creatures awaits readers in this charming story that begins with 11-year-old Falcon's happening upon a very unusual egg in Central Park. Knowing her mother would never let her keep it, Falcon confides, instead, in her neighbor Ardene Taylor and her great-great-aunt Emily, whose ornithologist friend soon becomes involved. The suspense builds as the four gather in Ardene's apartment every chance they get to keep watch on the egg, speculating about when, or if, it will hatch, and what kind of creature is inside. Not quite halfway through the book, the egg hatches, but the remainder of the story isn't anticlimactic. Actually, it's after the hatching that the adventure really begins. Gray has created a magical fantasyland of such realism that children will easily slip inside along with Falcon and linger even after the final page of the book has been turned. Description from Booklist When eleven-year-old Falcon finds a glowing red egg in Central Park, she decides to keep it. Falcon's book-illustrator mother is none too dependable, especially when a deadline looms, and so Falcon enlists the help of her great-great-aunt Emily, as well as one of her neighbors and an ornithologist at the Museum of Natural History - who comes in handy when what hatches out of the egg is a dragon. Falcon also acts as mother to her little brother, Toody, so she must work to balance caring for both Toody and Egg . As Egg grows, the adults around Falcon rally to provide her with the care and support she needs. The book ends on a note of parallel maternal love - as Falcon loves Egg, so her mother loves Falcon. Any tale of a resourceful girl living in New York City and aided by a collection of eccentric adults brings to mind E. L. Konigsburg's stories, but Falcon's struggle to raise and keep Egg - and, finally, to let Egg go - is wholly her own. Description from Horn Book Targeted to middle-grade children, this novel will intrigue them with a mythic creature who is the story's the centerpiece. The heroine, Emily Falcon Davies, has resiliently made her own path to compensate for her illustrator-mother's benign neglect. Falcon steers her younger brother Toody and herself through Manhattan locales, finding nurture from respectful adults who understand her needs and growing pains. One day she discovers a warm egg in Central Park that hatches into a dragon. Much intrigue and organizing is needed to hide a dragon in New York. As the hatchling grows, it must be moved continually and its ever-increasing appetite and need to fly become problematic. Falcon juggles the magic of the secret dragon with an unsatisfying school life, becomes closer to the adults who partake with her in the mystery of watching a dragon's life unfold, and finally, struggles to let the dragon live its own life. The story blends reality, myth, and magic in a plausible way. Description from Children's Literature A compelling rite-of-passage tale that moves right along to a satisfying conclusion. It's not unusual for a falcon to have an egg unless Falcon is an 11-year-old girl in New York City and the egg is red, hot, and discovered in Central Park. Falcon enlists the help of an older friend and neighbor to hide it until it hatches, fearing that her mother won't let her keep it. Soon elderly Aunt Emily; her ornithologist friend, Fernando Maldonado; and Falcon's younger brother join the cozy group that gathers to ponder the egg. When Egg hatches, she is a dragon. A solution to where she is to live works for a while, but in time Falcon realizes that Egg has to be free to look for others of her kind if indeed there are any. Each of the characters is rich in wit, wisdom, and human foibles. Clearly Falcon needs a little magic in her life as her artist mother is often totally absorbed in her work and the girl has to take responsibility for the household and her brother. Egg is the magic she needs but must give up. Though for a younger crowd than Anne McCaffrey's dragon books, this one is equally enticing and leaves readers longing for just a few minutes with a dragon. The real world blends well with the fantasy elements as tidbits of lore and locale are woven seamlessly. A book for any library serving young readers and dreamers. Description from School Library Journal
Falcon and the Charles Street Witch By Luli Gray	Since Egg flew off into the night more than a year before, Falcon fears she will never see her dragon again. Her mother wants to forget that Egg ever existed and her father never believed in dragons at all. But the magic finds Falcon again. First she leaps out of a plane after her younger brother, Toody. Then, blown to safety on a current of dragonsbreath, Falcon lands in an enchanted garden on Charles Street in New York City where she is greeted by the wonderfully peculiar Blinda Cholmondely. With the help of an ancient doggerel-spouting dragon named Dirus Horribilus, the rakish Saint George, and the astonishing Charles Street Witch, Falcon sets out to rescue Toody. In this rollicking tale of adventure and surprise, not only will Falcon see her beloved Egg again, she will also discover her own extraordinarily courageous self. Description from Publisher When 12-year-old Falcon and her little brother fall out of a jumbo jet, Falcon wafts down to the residence of Ms. Cholmondely (pronounced Chumley), a witch who helps her locate Toody. He has ended up in Australia with a young dragon named Egg, previously introduced in Falcon's Egg. The girl's efforts to fetch her sibling are complicated by Dirus, a sleepy old rhyming dragon; an accidental detour to an alternate New York City where animals talk; and the discovery of Egg by a horrified world. Except for the inexplicable airplane accident and an unconvincing confrontation with a bad guy at the end, this fantasy flows smoothly, with plenty of eccentric characters and interesting situations. Ms. Cholmondely's unique brand of slapdash magic and Egg's habit of speaking solely in mangled Shakespearean quotes will delight readers, but probably won't engage their emotions. A fun and fast read for fantasy fanatics. Description from School Library Journal In Falcon's Egg, young Falcon released Egg, the baby dragon who hatched under her care, into the skies over New York City. Now, a year later, Falcon and her little brother, Toody, are returning from visiting their dad in Australia when Toody's desperate need for the airplane bathroom leads them to meet up again with Egg in a most unusual way. Of course, much is unusual about this lively and unsentimental fantasy in which a witch on Charles Street in Greenwich Village works spells that go awry in pleasing ways and a dragon's fart can color sunsets for weeks. Egg herself speaks mostly in mangled Shakespearean quotes (correct ones appear at the end); distracted parents, cynical TV anchors, and a fair amount of trans-oceanic dragon travel come in for arch description. Wordplay abounds, mirth runs free, and gentle skewering is the order of the day. It will delight readers who want to know what happened to Falcon's Egg, and charm those new to the characters. Description from Booklist n a sequel to the beguiling Falcon's Egg, Gray continues her sweetly old-fashioned fantasy about a girl and her dragon. After a visit to their divorced father in Australia, 12-year-old Falcon and her little brother Toody are saved by Egg, Falcon's erstwhile pet dragon, from what could have been a tragic (if implausible) accident. When Falcon turns to an ingratiatingly eccentric witch and another (elderly) dragon to locate her accidentally mislaid brother, the misadventures begin. Falcon and company are swept off to a fantastic alternative New York, while her father and his aboriginal allies attempt to protect Egg from the triple menace of sightseers, the military, and (most sinister) a blowhard talk-show host. Eventually, the villains are routed, the grownups learn to believe in magic, and serious-minded Falcon achieves a new degree of self-confidence. Leavening a riotous imagination with a delightful practicality (flying dragonback still requires bathroom breaks), and chock-full of allusions to children's and world literature (the dragons speak in mangled classical quotations), Gray's style is reminiscent of the lighthearted charm of Edward Eager. But lacking his subtly dark infrastructure, the author's fluffy souffle of a plot eventually collapses under the weight of its own whimsy, degenerating into a confusing anticlimactic confrontation and lowbrow jokes about dragon flatus. Still, Falcon is an engaging heroine, and middle-school readers will no doubt look forward to her further adventures. Sources for the quotations, along with a cookie recipe, are included in the endmatter. Description from Kirkus Reviews
Right On, Winky Blue! By Pamela Jane	Illustrated by Debbie Tilley. Rosie is thrilled when her pet parakeet, Winky Blue, wins a talk show quiz on WFUN radio show in New York City. But when her beloved bird is disqualified and her best friend's pet gerbil gets stranded on top of the Empire State Building, it looks as though Rosie's hopes -- and Cinnamon the gerbil, are in for a big fall! Description from Publisher
Winky Blue Forever! By Pamela Jane	Rosie plans to make her parakeet Winky Blue famous forever through a series of television commercials, but her hopes are crushed when he is lost on the way into New York City. Description from Publisher
P.C. Hawke Mysteries #1 The Scream Museum By Paul Zindel	P.C. Hawke and his partner-in-sleuthing, Mackenzie Riggs, are shocked to learn that their friend, Tom, a custodian, is accused of murdering the chief biologist at the Museum of Natural History. As P.C. and Mackenzie dig deeper into the strange story, they discover a stolen world-famous necklace, an anthropologist trained in Indonesian medicine and hypnosis, and a fat, hairy tarantula named Aristotle. Description from Publisher
P.C. Hawke Mysteries #4 The Lethal Gorilla By Paul Zindel	P.C. Hawke is a 15-year-old high-school student cum private detective. He gets access to murder cases through his best friend and detective partner, Mackenzie Riggs, whose mother is the New York City coroner. This new P. C. Hawke mystery involves the death of a much-hated celebrity scientist at the Bronx Zoo. The victim was first chewed on by a jaguar and finished off with a transfusion of gorilla blood. In the course of their investigations, P. C and Mackenzie are menaced by a dominant silverback gorilla, chased by a madman with a titanium machete, and cornered by a group of jaguars before they are rescued and solve the crime. P. C. describes all of this in a first-person voice that combines contemporary teen jargon with the traditional, super-cool delivery of the hardboiled detective. The contrivances may disappoint some readers, but the exotic zoo setting and exciting action scenes will hook others. Description from Booklist
P.C. Hawke Mysteries #5 The Square Root of Murder By Paul Zindel	When aptly named calculus teacher Professor Dunaway is found pinned to her chalkboard by a crossbow bolt, amateur sleuth P. C. Hawke and sidekick Mackenzie Riggs, already in a "freakazoid frame of mind," find themselves up against both a clever killer and an obtuse police lieutenant with zero sense of fashion. Zindel's plot won't hold water for a moment, but he piles on suspects and red herrings, sends Hawke and Mac from the Bronx to JFK Airport hunting clues, throws in an embezzlement scheme to further muddy the waters, and brings the investigation to a suspenseful climax with a wild, spooky chase through an unlit classroom building basement. P. C. narrates, but Mac has an equal and active role in this helter-skelter whodunit, aimed at Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew grads. Description from Booklist Once again, P. C. and his friend Mackenzie stumble into a murder and onto the murderer. When their nasty calculus teacher at Columbia University is pinned to the blackboard with an arrow shot from a crossbow, the two friends begin to investigate their eclectic collection of classmates. Some attend the college, but others, like Mac and P. C., are high school students taking advanced classes. A visit to a medieval weaponry collector's makeshift torture chamber, a careening taxi ride across New York City, and the final, hair-raising chase through the darkened halls of the university add excitement to this basic whodunit. Description from School Library Journal
P.C. Hawke Mysteries #7 The Gourmet Zombie By Paul Zindel	The most famous chefs in New York are dropping like flies—each seeming to die accidentally. But P.C. and Mac notice a bizarre connection: every one has met his maker courtesy of his signature dish! Who is killing the cooks of Gotham, and, whats more, will there be a decent cook left alive to cater P.C. and Mac's joint sixteenth-birthday bash? Description from Publisher P. C. and his friend Mackenzie live in Manhattan and solve murder cases in their free time. In this installment in the series, the 16-year-olds happen upon several classy New York chefs who seem to be dropping dead in very peculiar ways. The sleuths manage to solve the crimes in a single weekend, beating the cops to the punch. Teens should be thrilled with the freedom these kids have. School is still in session, yet they have no homework, and their parents are nonexistent. However far-fetched the story line might be, it makes good escapist fare for preteens and reluctant older readers. It's fast paced, and the heroes win in the end. Description from School Library Journal
P.C. Hawke Mysteries #8 The Phantom of 86th Street By Paul Zindel	Serena hasn't been herself lately. She has been having sudden lapses of memory and acting like a completely different person — one she doesn't like very much. To add to her confusion, she knows that someone has been following her. It all started the night an elderly woman helped her. Now Serena is beginning to wonder, who was that woman? And what has she done to Serena? Description from Publisher
The School Story By Andrew Clements	Don't mess with Zee Zee Reisman from the Sherry Clutch Literary Agency. Especially when she's promoting the hot new novelist Cassandra Day. New York's publishing scene is familiar with tough players like Zee Zee, and impressed by the book she's pushing... but stunned when they find out Zee Zee and Cassandra are both 12-year-old girls. Zee Zee is really Zoe, fiercely loyal and self-assured best friend to Natalie Nelson, a.k.a. Cassandra Day. When Natalie writes a story, a really good story, Zoe is determined to let the whole world know. Using her formidable wits and all the resources available to a well-to-do New York City girl, Zoe, along with their timid English teacher, Ms. Clayton, proceeds to chip away at the challenge. The catch? The editor Natalie wants happens to be her own mother, an editor at Shipley Junior Books. But Natalie wants her authorship to remain a secret to her mom so that she'll get a fair shake. What ensues is a masterfully elaborate plot to get the manuscript in the right hands--and away from the arrogant, unfriendly editor in chief. A highly original plot with plenty of intriguing side stories makes this a thoroughly satisfying read, especially for future novelists, agents, and editors. The publishing world is explored in just enough detail to gently banish romantic notions, but not to quell enthusiasm. The subplot around Natalie's father, who died four years earlier, is an almost silent but strong undercurrent to the story. This graceful and enjoyable novel from Andrew Clements (the bestselling author of The Janitor's Boy, Frindle, and The Landry News) is illustrated with rather gloomy, yet strangely funny black-and-white drawings from Brian Selznick. Description from Amazon.com Clements's (Frindle) absorbing novel centers on Natalie, a 12-year-old aspiring author who, since her father died in an automobile accident, lives alone with her mother, Hannah, a children's book editor for a New York City publisher. As the book opens, Natalie's best friend, Zoe, is reading the novel that Natalie is writing. The impulsive, take-charge Zoe decides it is good enough to be published and hatches a scheme to ensure that it is. The path from manuscript to bound book takes some funny turns, as the girls elicit the aid of their English teacher, who rents office space that serves as the faux headquarters of Natalie's self-appointed agent: Zoe. Clements strikes a poignant note with his plot within a plot, since the youngster's novel tells of a girl whose father stands up for her always even when she is caught cheating in school. Through the use of alternating perspectives, he characterizes the two seventh graders as very different but equally likable parties in a "push-and-pull friendship." Though Natalie's is, indeed, a "school story," it is at heart a tale about the love between a father and daughter. In Zoe's eyes, "the book was like a good-bye poem from Natalie to her father," whom she misses enormously. Hannah, explaining to Natalie how she can recognize the rare gem of a manuscript among the many submissions she receives, says, "The good ones stand out like roses in a snowbank." This is one such standout. Description from Publishers Weekly
One Small Dog By Johanna Hurwitz	The prolific author of humorous, easy chapter books offers a serious commentary on the subject of dog ownership. Fourth-grader Curtis has always wanted a pup, and after his parents file for divorce, his mother reluctantly agrees. They visit an animal shelter, where Curtis selects a small, black, friendly-looking cocker spaniel. Unfortunately, things go badly from the start. Sammy chews up Curtis' new sneakers, creates a disturbance at Dad's apartment (where dogs are forbidden), and bites anyone who tries to take food away from him. Finally, Mom concludes that Sammy must go, and a sadder-but-wiser Curtis (sporting 10 stitches in his hand) agrees. Hurwitz, who knows her audience well, manages to make her point without ever becoming didactic. Kids are sure to appreciate the story's many lighter moments, too, such as Sammy, hidden in a canvas bag, barking loudly in a New York City taxi. This will be popular with Hurwitz's fans and parents of readers who are convinced that a dog will fix everything. A note from dog trainer Larry Berg explains what went wrong. Description from Booklist Not your usual boy-and-his-dog story, this tale comes with a few hard-earned lessons about responsible pet ownership. Fourth-grader Curtis lives in an apartment with his recently separated mother and younger brother, Mitchell. To help compensate for the pending divorce, Curtis's mother goes against her better judgment and allows him to select a puppy from an animal shelter. The one he chooses turns out to be a chewer. Having owned the dog only two weeks, Curtis's mother decides they cannot keep Sammy after he bites her and Mitchell. While attempting to run away with his pet, Curtis is bitten. After six stitches, he realizes that his mother is right, and his father gives Sammy to a friend who has the time and patience to train him. Hurwitz's story has no happily-ever-after ending but makes a strong statement about the consequences of taking a responsibility too lightly. DeGroat's realistic drawings are a bonus. A good message for aspiring or prospective pet owners. Description from School Library Journal
Maximum Boy The Hijacking of Manhattan: How I Became a Superhero By Dan Greenburg	Max Silver is just an ordinary kid. Until one fateful day, he touched some radioactive space rocks in a museum. Now Max can do things most boys can¹t. Like fly. Still, it isn¹t easy being a superhero. Max¹s sister is jealous of the attention he gets. His father is determined to beat him at arm-wrestling. His mother just wants him to be in bed on time. And—uh, oh!—the President is asking him to save Manhattan! Description from Publisher Life as a superhero isn't as glamorous as one might think. In fact, Maximum Boy, a.k.a. Max Silver, sometimes thinks it's a big pain in the butt. His teenage sister is jealous, his dad's always bugging him to lift up the car when the jack is broken, and his mother just wants him to eat his veggies and get home early on school nights--even if Max is chained in a dungeon in Antarctica, being slowly squeezed and devoured by a python. Still, a superhero's gotta do what he's gotta do. And 11-year-old Maximum Boy, ever since he accidentally touched blue space rocks at the air and space museum, is definitely a superhero. He even belongs to the League of Superheroes (although he finds most of them snotty and gossipy). When the president of the United States calls Maximum Boy for help in saving Manhattan, which has been cut loose from the other boroughs and is being motored out to the middle of the Atlantic, this young hero is duty bound to lend a hand. But can he save the island from being flushed down the ocean? Max doesn't even like putting his face in the water. Description from Amazon.com
Over the Wall By John H. Ritter	Anger is a bombshell exploding. And for 13-year-old Tyler, the baseball field has become a battlefield laced with landmines. He tries to watch his step, but every time he thinks he has his temper under control, boom!, he winds up in a fight. If he isn't careful, his dreams of making the All-Star team and being noticed by a scout are going to blow up as well. But Tyler's coach isn't about to let that happen. A Vietnam War veteran, Coach Trioli has seen anger destroy enough people. He knows that Tyler is fighting a war that has no winner. And if Tyler is ever going to be the ballplayer he dreams of becoming, he'll have to learn to fight his battles with his glove, his bat, and his love for the game--not with his fists. Description from Publisher John Ritter follows his critically acclaimed debut novel, Choosing Up Sides, with Over the Wall, a metaphorically complex treatment of the Vietnam War, emotional alienation, rage, and the catastrophic familial effects of a child's death, all of which are played out in the uniquely American crucible of a baseball field. Thirteen-year-old Tyler Waltern, leaves his mother and distant father, emotionally shattered since the accidental death of Tyler's older sister some nine years earlier, to spend the summer in New York City with his uncle, aunt, and cousins. Tyler's considerable athletic prowess on a Central Park Little League team is overshadowed by his propensity for uncontrollable temper tantrums. A firm but sympathetic coach, the attention and help from his sagacious teenage cousin Brina, and several pilgrimages to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. contribute to Tyler's revelatory growth and redemption. Narrator Johnny Heller is superb and completely natural in his seamless boyish vocal execution of Tyler while also providing a mature dimension to the adult characters. An added bonus is the concluding interview with author who discusses, among other topics, the novel's multidimensional themes and structure. Imbued with passion, absolution, and grace, this beautiful story beautifully told is destined to become one of the year's best. Description from School Library Journal
Pushcart War By Jean Merrill	The pushcarts have declared war! New York City's streets are clogged with huge, rude trucks that park where they want, hold up traffic, and bulldoze into anything that is in their way, and the pushcart peddlers are determined to get rid of them. But the trucks are just as determined to get rid of the pushcarts, and chaos results in the city. The pushcarts have come up with a brilliant strategy that will surely let the hot air out of their enemies. The secret weapon--a peashooter armed with a pin; the target--the vulnerable truck tires. Once the source of the flat tires is discovered, the children of the city joyfully join in with their own pin peashooters. The pushcarts have won one battle, but can they win the war against a corrupt mayor who taxes the pins and prohibits the sale of dried peas? Description from Publisher
I'm Out of My Body... Please Leave a Message (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	Zack's friend Spencer suggests they try astral travel. But there's one problem with out-of-body travel: once you've been to the zoo, seen the Statue of Liberty and flown into your teacher's bedroom without taking your body along - how do you get back in? Description from Publisher
Hang a Left at Venus (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	When Zack and his dad come upon an alien whose spacecraft is running on empty in Central Park, it's easy enough to find more fuel (mayonnaise!), but retrieving the craft from the NYPD is quite a different story! Description from Publisher
Evil Queen Tut and the Great Ant Pyramids (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	While on a class picnic in Central Park, ten-year-old Zack gets a chance to study ants close up and personal when he uses way too much of a classmate's diet powder and shrinks to the size of an ant. Description from Publisher
How I Went from Bad to Verse (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	When Zack is bitten by a tick during a class trip to Central Park he succumbs to Rhyme Disease, which causes him to speak only in rhymes and to float like a helium balloon. Description from Publisher
Greenish Eggs and Dinosaurs (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	Oops! Zack's in trouble again! He buys a large, green, weird-looking egg at a flea market, then the housekeeper inadvertently does the exact thing she was told not to do: she microwaves it. Suddenly he's taking care of a very strange reptilian something. It might be a plesiosaur, it appears to be growing quickly, and one thing's for sure-it's not going to fit in Zack's small Manhattan apartment for long! Description from Publisher
Yikes! Grandma's a Teenager (Zack Files) By Dan Greenburg	A trip to New York City to celebrate her 89th birthday--and participate in a Rockettes reunion at Radio City Music Hall--leaves Zack's Grandma Leah feeling younger than springtime. And she's looking that way too, since a strange trip through an airport metal detector turned back the hands of time and is making Grandma grow younger and younger! Description from Publisher The "Zack Files" include 18 different books. Each follows Zack, an eleven-year-old boy, as he tries to explain the strange and weird events that happen to his family. How can Grandma keep getting younger? It doesn't seem possible, but every morning she looks and acts younger than the day before. This can prove to be quite embarrassing when she visits Zack's classroom in a leather motorcycle jacket and a leopard printed miniskirt for Grandparents Day. Everyone else had normal-looking grandparents that look and act their age, but on this day, Zack discovers what Grandma was like as a teenager. She even gets sent to the principal's office for starting a food fight. Can this reverse aging be stopped? Discover how Zack gets Grandma back to her old self. I read this book to my class and they loved it. I even had a request to read another one in the "The Zack Files" series. Description from Children's Literature
The Young Unicorns By Madeleine L'Engle	A plot to rule New York City places the Austin family in terrifying danger. Description from Publisher
Just Ask Iris By Lucy Frank	There are many adjectives that could be used to describe Frank's (I Am an Artichoke) 12-year-old narrator, Iris Pinkowitz. Spunky, enterprising and braless (until she can earn enough money to buy the much-needed article of clothing) are just a few words that fit the bill. As the story opens, Iris has just moved from the Bronx to Manhattan with her Latina mother and older brother, Freddy; her father has stayed behind. She'll be starting a new junior high come fall; and she really needs to buy that bra soon. While she's supposed to be spending her summer learning to type in preparation for computer school, she instead climbs the fire escape outside her building in search of a particular cat. During her quest to find "Fluffy," Iris meets various neighbors and starts a business doing odd jobs for them. There's the Avon saleslady, Daisy, who needs Iris to baby-sit her grandchildren; Mr. Gordon, who wants his dog walked; the brutish Tattoo Man, whom Iris tries to avoid; Willy, a boy in a wheelchair with a chip on his shoulder; and the Cat Lady, an eccentric old woman on the top floor, who might be Fluffy's owner. Through hilarious and poignant moments, Iris adroitly charts her growing pains and her budding friendships. Packed with action, lively dialogue and engaging personalities, this slice of urban life is thoroughly entertaining. Description from Publishers Weekly Iris Diaz-Pinkowitz, her older brother, and their mother have recently moved to a new apartment in New York City. Two things are worrying the 12-year-old-she needs to start wearing a bra, but her mother is too busy working to take her shopping, and she needs to practice typing before beginning Computer School in the fall. One bright note in her life is the cat that has been visiting her every morning. One day, it doesn't show up. As she tries to find Fluffy, she hears about the Cat Lady who lives at the top of her building. Climbing up the fire escape (the hallways are too scary and the elevator is broken), she meets some of her new neighbors: 13-year-old Will Gladd, who is wheelchair-bound; Daisy Cuevas and her three grandchildren; elderly Luisa Serrano; and Yolanda Alvarez. And she finds Fluffy (along with dozens of other felines) with the Cat Lady. Iris starts "Just Ask Iris," an errand/dog-walking/baby-sitting service, and earns money to buy herself a bra. When the Cat Lady is threatened with eviction, Iris is able to get the apartment residents to pull together and stop the action. She is also instrumental in getting the long-out-of-service elevator repaired. Frank tells this appealing contemporary story with a light touch and plenty of humorous dialogue. She has created a likable, resourceful heroine who knows how to take care of business and how to be a good friend. Description from school Library Journal Iris and her family recently moved into a tall, narrow apartment house. Her mother won't let her out of the building so she finds her adventures on the "inside." Iris makes her way up the fire escape and meets a ferocious dog, Brutus (whom she tames with hot dogs and dog biscuits), Will, only a year older but in a wheelchair due to a car accident, the supervisor of the building, two families, and the cat lady¾an eccentric with cats too numerous to count. Because the elevator is broken, Will is stuck in his room, the dog on the sixth floor only makes it to the third landing to pee, and others don't want to climb up and down the stairs to get supplies. Iris also needs to earn money so she can buy a bra. She opens a business doing odd jobs such as running errands, baby-sitting and dog walking. This story is humorous and full of human drama and caring. In the end, all of the tenants pull together to clean up the cat lady's room, disperse the cats, trick the landlady and convince her to fix the elevator just in time for Will to start school. Description from Children's Literature
My Chimp Friday: The Nana Banana Chronicles By Hester Mundis	Inspired by a chimpanzee raised by the author in a Manhattan apartment, this diverting if outlandish story centers on a baby chimp who comes to live with sixth-grader Rachel Stelson's New York family. Not long after fidgety scientist Bucky Greene furtively drops off Friday in the middle of the night, and begs them to keep him for a week and to say nothing, Greene is reported dead. Rachel soon realizes that someone knows Friday is residing with the Stelsons and wants to get hold of the chimp. Mundis, a comedy writer, is at her best with descriptions of the chimp: Friday turns out to be prodigiously gifted. He quickly learns to play solitaire on the computer, solve Rubik's Cube and dial the phone. And he causes merry mayhem in the school gym and at a toy store on several occasions when Rachel sneaks him out of the apartment in her backpack. The plot grows goofier, linking Friday's intelligence to genetically engineered bananas and Greene's death to the evil motives of his bosses at the Bio-Allmeans research lab. Balancing the effective humor, a wistful undercurrent Rachel's mother died three years earlier fans into a bittersweet conclusion. A good choice for animal lovers. Description from Publishers Weekly An entertaining and heartfelt urban "Curious George" for middle-grade readers. When Bucky Greene unexpectedly drops off a chimp at the Stelsons' Manhattan apartment at 2 a.m. and instructs the family to keep the animal's presence a secret, they are confused, to say the least. The mystery deepens after the eccentric scientist who entrusted Friday to their care is found dead. Eventually, it is revealed that he was working on a genetically engineered banana that greatly increased the chimp's intelligence. Now, the man's enemies are after his prize creature. Rachel, 12, and her brother, Jared, 9, become increasingly attached to the animal that can solve a Rubik's Cube, play solitaire, and use a computer. The kids are determined to protect Friday and keep him as their own, but, in the end, they realize that the city is not the proper environment for him, and learn what it means to sacrifice for the good of another. As outlandish as this plot seems, the novel is based on the author's experience of raising a chimp in New York City. The ending is surprisingly poignant and will resonate with readers who have had to bid farewell to a cherished pet. With the right mix of adventure and humor, this tale is likely to be popular with independent readers and as a read-aloud. Description from School Library Journal When her dad's friend, an eccentric scientist, drops off a chimpanzee as part of a top-secret mission, Rachel Stelson and her family can't help but wonder what's really going on. But Friday the chimp steals his way into all their hearts with his loving ways, amazing antics, and apparently keen intelligence. They have fun with him as he enjoys MTV, gives the dog tummy rubs, makes a memorable guest appearance at school, and cavorts around with ape-like grace. Friday's unique attributes definitely have a down side: they've made him vulnerable to kidnapping by evil-minded corporate thieves. A couple of hair-raising kidnapping attempts ensue, and the action heats up in a suspenseful race to figure out who is trying to steal Friday and why. The bad guys lose, of course, and Friday goes on to greater achievements. Lots of readers will go ape over Friday and this fun read. Description from Booklist
Scooter By Vera B. Williams	Elana is thrilled to be living all the way up on the eighth floor of 514 Melon Hill Avenue, an apartment building in New York City. But with her new life come changes -- and challenges. Is her shiny scooter up to the crags and potholes of city sidewlks? Will she be able to make new friends? Can she find a way to help out little Petey, who everyone says doesn't talk? And will the kids from Melon Hill win any blue ribbons at the Borough-Wide Field Day? As Elana coasts toward discoveries and surprises in her new home, she keeps one thing in mind: Anything can happen as long as you have a winning attitude -- and a cool set of wheels! Description from Publisher Elana Rose Rosen describes her first "2 months + 1 week or 9 weeks + 6 days or...5,961,600 seconds" in Melon Hill, an urban complex where she and her mom share one-room apartment 8E. From the first day ("I don't know any of those kids...I'm not moping") to the Labor Day celebration when Elana and the kids she's gotten to know--plus her best friend/cousin, visiting from Toronto--shine in their individual ways, Williams builds a sense of a particular community with every casual-seeming detail. Many of these relate to little Petey, who has selfish, inept parents and has never spoken until he whispers an important message to Elana; to old Mrs. Greiner ("the Whiner"), who turns out to be lovable as well as capable; and to Elana's hard-working mom, who goes to school and holds down a job. The rough marginal illustrations, while credibly childlike, deftly capture both character and action; with creative dexterity, Williams also varies the format with lists, charts ("Diagram of the Zig Zag Day'' of trials and triumphs), healthful recipes (a soup from leftovers could be adapted to any refrigerator's contents), and succinct themes built on initials from chapter titles ("Petey": "Petey doesn't/Ever/Talk/Even when he wants to--/Y?"). Disarming in its apparent simplicity, an upbeat, innovative, delightfully engaging, and beautifully crafted first novel about everyday life in the inner city. Description from Kirkus Reviews
Nancy Drew: The Clue on the Crystal Dove By Carolyn Keene	A cunning thief is desperate to wreck the opening of a historic landmark -- and Nancy is his target! On Gramercy Park in New York City, the magnificent Van Hoogstraten mansion with its priceless collection of glass birds is about to open to the public. Nancy, Bess, and George are invited, but a series of sinister events puts everything in chaos. When the centerpiece of the collection, a beautiful crystal bird, is stolen, Nancy gets on the case. From family members with motives to keep the house, to an antiques dealer with a personal grudge, suspects abound. And when Nancy goes to the family's abandoned camp in the Adirondack forest, she zeroes in on the truth. In a violent nighttime thunderstorm on a solitary lake, Nancy confronts the culprit. The case is solved -- if she can get to shore alive! Description from Publisher
The Adventures of Ali Baba Bernstein By Johanna Hurwitz	Eight-year-old David Bernstein discovers life is much more exciting when he calls himself Ali Baba Bernstein. Only Ali Baba would have dared to grab the class snail and escape to the boys' room for his own magic experiment. David would never have invited every David Bernstein in the New York Telephone Directory to his ninth birthday party -- or find himself hailed as a great detective -- or discover adventures and misadventures everywhere he went. But Ali Baba Bernstein does! Description from Publisher
The One Hundredth Thing About Caroline By Lois Lowry	When their mother starts to date the mystery man on the fifth floor of their Manhattan apartment building who has been instructed by his agent to "eliminate the children" by the first of May, eleven-year-old Caroline and her genius brother think he is going to try to kill them. Description from Publisher
The Teddy Bear Habit or How I Became a Winner By James Lincoln Collier	Twelve-year-old George Stable wants to be a rock star someday, but he gets horrible stage fright - unless he has his old teddy bear with him. Hiding the teddy in his guitar seems like a brilliant idea until George discovers that someone has hidden jewels in the stuffing of his beloved bear. Quirky yet believable characters and a funky setting make this one a winner all around. Description from Publisher
The Invisible Day By Marthe Jocelyn	In the Booklist interview, Anne Fine speaks about how children today can never get away from adults, "there's no longer that sense of safety and freedom." Here, first-novelist Jocelyn dramatizes that dependence in a funny story about a fifth-grader in Manhattan who can get no peace from her overprotective single mother ("Bathrooms were the only place where a kid can be alone"). When Billie finds a magic makeup kit that makes her invisible, she can, for the first time in her life, walk alone on the street and ride the subway all by herself. She feels like an alien. Kids will enjoy the fantasy as Billie evades her hovering mother, tricks her teachers and the classroom bully, and travels across town to a teenage inventor, who makes her visible again. Her adventure is also a celebration of New York City, with all the riches of its crowded streets. Readers will be touched by the ending, when Billie and her mother recognize what was sometimes "invisible": how much they love each other and how Billie must learn to be on her own, even in a dangerous world. Description from Booklist Fifth-grader Billie Stoner longs for more freedom. Her days and nights are carefully monitored by her mother, and shared with her younger sister since New York City is a place of "countless dangers." While on a family excursion to Central Park, Billie discovers a mysterious cosmetics bag that she quietly secrets away. At school the next day, she samples one of the powders in it and becomes invisible. Her ability to move through her school and throughout the city unseen proves to be both humorous and challenging. Not only must she outsmart her teacher, but also her mother, who is the school librarian. With the help of her friend Hubert, Billie travels uptown to the home of an eccentric teenage scientist, Jody, the owner of the cosmetics bag and the only one who can help Billie regain visibility. The story has a predictable plot, but children will find it intriguing. The girl learns some lessons in her travels, and comes to appreciate and miss her family. Some characterization is rather shallow. Still, the story keeps a good, fresh pace, and the ending is neatly tied up with a bowthe class bully's attempts at plagiarism are thwarted, Billie becomes visible, and she finally gains some freedom from her mother. Her first-person narrative gives the book a chatty, comfortable tone. Children will readily identify with Billie's thoughts, motives, actions, and language. Description from School Library Journal
The Invisible Harry By Marthe Jocelyn	What’s more fun – and more hard work – than a puppy? An invisible one! Author Marthe Jocelyn takes readers back to Manhattan to meet up once again with Billie Stoner in her follow-up to The Invisible Day. Billie has always wanted a puppy, but her mother and father both agree: No dog! No problem, thinks Billie, who turns to her mad scientist friend Jodie for a plan to make her new pet invisible! The plan works, but soon Billie finds that keeping her invisible dog, Harry Houdini, under wraps isn’t as easy as she planned, especially in a tiny apartment. To begin with, he still smells like a puppy, feels like a puppy, and worst of all, sounds like a puppy. What’s more, her arch enemy Alissa is beginning to catch on to the secret. Just how long can Billie keep Harry concealed? Description from Publisher
The Invisible Enemy By Marthe Jocelyn	In this sequel to The Invisible Day and The Invisible Harry, sixth-grader Billie Stoner's enemy, Alyssa, steals her backpack on a class trip to the Cloisters in northern Manhattan, snoops through her stuff, and uses up an entire dose of Vanishing Powder. The invisible Alyssa, now more beastly than ever, forces Billie to help her return to normal, but not before they spend a torturous night at Billie's home, right under the nose of her librarian mom. The only person who can make the girl reappear is the brilliant high-school student who invented the potion and its antidote, which is made of something foul (including dog food and bubble-gum juice). This story focuses on the girls' relationship and gives possible cause as to what makes Alyssa so nasty. It is slow in parts, but fans of the previous books will enjoy the contemporary lingo and identify with the middle-schooler's angst over friends, family, and boys. Carter's amusing, full-page, black-and-white wash illustrations are scattered throughout. Description from School Library Journal
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man By Kitty Richards	Spider-Man'sarchenemy, the Green Goblin, wants to take over the world -- and he's starting with New York City! Spider-Man is the only one who can stop the Green Goblin's terrible plan -- unless the Green Goblin stops Spider-Man first! Description from Publisher DVD Also Available
The Saturdays y Elizabeth Enright	Four New York City siblings decide to pool their resources so that each can do a special thing on the Saturday that is his turn to receive the combined allowance. Meet the Melendys! Mona, the eldest, is thirteen. She has decided to become an actress and can recite poetry at the drop of a hat. Rush is twelve and a bit mischievous. Miranda is ten and a half. She loves dancing and painting pictures. Oliver is the youngest. At six, he is a calm and thoughful person. They all live with their father, who is a writer, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, who takes on the many roles of nurse, cook, substitute mother, grandmother, and aunt. Description from Publisher
Noonday Friends By Mary Slattery Stolz	Awards: 1966 Newbery Honor Book Notable Children's Books of 1965 (ALA) Children's Books of 1965 (Library of Congress) "City" Books of the Sixties (The Instructor) Eleven-year-old Franny Davis and her best friend share school and family problems in this realistic, often humorous story set in New York's Greenwich Village. Description from Publisher Franny and her twin brother live in a home where every dollar counts, and Franny resents having to get a pass for a free lunch. She dreams of bringing her lunch to school just like her rich classmate Lila. Even though she has responsibilities after school, caring for her younger brother and getting dinner started, her friend Simone who comes from a large immigrant family seems to understand, but wouldn't it be nice if they could just be girls without too many cares. It is a warm story of family, friends and coming to an understanding of that which is truly important in life. Description from Children's Literature
Over the Wall By John H. Ritter	John Ritter follows his critically acclaimed debut novel, Choosing Up Sides, with Over the Wall, a metaphorically complex treatment of the Vietnam War, emotional alienation, rage, and the catastrophic familial effects of a child's death, all of which are played out in the uniquely American crucible of a baseball field. Thirteen-year-old Tyler Waltern, leaves his mother and distant father, emotionally shattered since the accidental death of Tyler's older sister some nine years earlier, to spend the summer in New York City with his uncle, aunt, and cousins. Tyler's considerable athletic prowess on a Central Park Little League team is overshadowed by his propensity for uncontrollable temper tantrums. A firm but sympathetic coach, the attention and help from his sagacious teenage cousin Brina, and several pilgrimages to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. contribute to Tyler's revelatory growth and redemption. Narrator Johnny Heller is superb and completely natural in his seamless boyish vocal execution of Tyler while also providing a mature dimension to the adult characters. An added bonus is the concluding interview with author who discusses, among other topics, the novel's multidimensional themes and structure. Imbued with passion, absolution, and grace, this beautiful story beautifully told is destined to become one of the year's best young adult audiobooks. Description from School Library Journal Ritter (Choosing Up Sides) again draws parallels between baseball and social issues as he explores the struggles of a 13-year-old boy on and off the field. There are many "walls" in Tyler's life: the outfield wall he dreams of clearing with a hard hit; the Vietnam monument bearing the name of his grandfather; and the invisible barrier Tyler's father has built around himself since the accidental death of Tyler's older sister nine years earlier. Spending the summer in New York City with his cousins, Tyler is determined to make an all-star baseball team. But Tyler's talent doesn't impress his coaches as much as his explosive temper does, and he is told to "shape up or ship out." Led by a tough but sensitive coach, a Vietnam vet, and by his pretty eighth-grader cousin, trained in "peer arbitration" at her private school, Tyler learns to control his anger and understand his so-called enemies. The author tackles tough subjects relating to violence in sports, religious hypocrisy and the Vietnam War while creating layers of metaphors that neatly unfold as the story progresses. Although Ritter stacks the deck a little obviously, his powerful lesson in compassion will likely reverberate for readers. Description from Publishers weekly
Stucksville By Sheila Greenwald	When her fourth-grade class is assigned to write an essay entitled "My New York," Emerald Costos has no idea what to write. After all, New York City is only one of half-a-dozen places she and her actor parents have lived since she was born, and they are already looking forward to their next move. When bossy Angel Montero, who lives in her building, suggests that they build models of their apartments instead of writing an essay. Emerald is even more unsure. However she soon finds that she enjoys working on the miniature re-creation of the tiny apartment that she and her parents call "Stucksville." She also begins to take an interest in her other neighbors, watching them through the window and offering anonymous tips to help them out of trouble, sometimes with humorous results. Gradually, Emerald discovers that she does have a New York of her own, one that she is reluctant to leave. Greenwald does a good job of capturing the detachment and insecurities of a girl who is always moving and trying to fit in, and the supporting characters are believable and likable. This is a fun book to use in the classroom, and should inspire students to create their own models of home. Description from School Library Journal
Frankenstein Moved In on the Fourth Floor By Elizabeth Levy	What is the matter with Mr. Frank, the man who has moved into Sam and Roberts building? Why is he so nasty? Why does he use so much electricity? And why are those odd moans and groans coming from his apartment. Sam and Robert think they know the answer. Together they reread one of Sam's horror books. Just as they thought, there are an awful lot of similarities between Mr. Frank and the man in the story, Too many to be just a coincidence.Could it be true? Is Frankenstein really living on the fourth floor of their building? Sam and Robert aren't sure but they're determined to find out! Description from Publisher
Monkey Island By Paula Fox	Eleven-year-old Clay Garrity is on his own. His father lost his job and left the family. Now Clay's mother is gone from their welfare hotel. Clay is homeless and out on the streets of New York. In the park he meets two homeless men. Buddy and Calvin become Clay's new family during those harsh winter weeks. But the streets are filled with danger and despair. If Clay leaves the streets he may never find his parents again. But if he stays on the streets he may not survive at all. Description from Publisher A fine author considers what it means to be a homeless 11- year-old in N.Y.C. Clay Garrity's dad, an art director, was out of work; Clay's mother trained for a good job--but it wasn't enough, especially with a baby coming. Unable to cope, Dad disappeared; now, without warning, Clay's distraught mother has also abandoned him, leaving him in an unsavory welfare hotel. When a neighbor suggests calling the police, Clay bolts, afraid that becoming a foster child would mean losing his mother forever. He lands in a park with Buddy, a hard-working young black man who can't earn enough for a rent deposit, and with Calvin, a retired teacher who lost everything in a fire. Weeks later, their fragile existence is destroyed by an invasion of raging toughs ("the stump people") who demolish their meager, hard-won amenities and scatter the park's inhabitants. Indirect results include Calvin's death; Clay, weak from malnutrition and exposure, is hospitalized. Focusing on a child who has been secure and well-loved intensifies the impact of his deprivations and suggests that Clay's cruel experiences could happen to anyone. It also allows a subtly upbeat ending: herself again after the baby's birth, Clay's mother finds him, and he begins to forgive her. Exquisitely crafted with spare but resonant detail (like describing, with wry wit, but not quoting the angry four-letter words of the stump people--and contrasting them to Clay's reiterated graffiti: "Stop!")--an absorbing, profoundly disturbing but ultimately hopeful story. Description from Kirkus Reviews Fox (Newbery Award Winning The Slave Dancer) has written a quietly terrifying, wholly compelling novel about the urban homeless, filtered through the experience of an 11-year-old boy. Clay's middle-class existence begins to shred when his art-director father loses his job and, eventually, his connection to his wife and child. He leaves without a word one day, and Clay and his pregnant mother end up in a welfare hotel, a place "where people in trouble waited for something better--or worse--to happen to them." And happen it does, for Clay's mother soon disappears as well, and Clay takes to the streets, to be befriended by two homeless men and reunited with his mother only after great tribulation. Once again Fox displays her remarkable ability to render life as seen by a sensitive child who has bumped up against harsh circumstances. Her understanding of Clay is keenly empathic and intuitive, and it seems near-total: she is as finely attuned to the small, surprising eddies of his thoughts as to their larger and more obvious stream. It is precisely this attention to the quiet, easily lost insight that gives her account its veracity and force. For example, one night Clay and a friend break into a church basement, and Clay spies a bulletin board. He is "faintly surprised. I can read, he thought"--a small jolt that shows us just how far from the world of school and homework he has traveled. Fox neither preaches about nor attempts to soften the stark realities of the life that is, temporarily, thrust upon Clay. Clear-eyed and unblinking as ever, she shows us the grit, misery and despair of the homeless, along with occasional qualified, but nonetheless powerful redemptive moments--the sharing of an apple or kind word by those with little to spare; for Clay, the bright smile of his newborn sister. Description from Publishers Weekly {This is a} delicate and moving novel, one of the first describing middle-class homelessness for young readers. The sight of homeless people . . . hasbecome a fact of life, and for children they are the ultimate representation of a terrifying fantasy--of parents leaving, of loss and displacement. How does a writer make the unbearable bearable without violating the basic truth of the situation? . . . {Ms. Fox} has written a relentless story that succeeds inconveying the bitter facts. She depicts life in a welfare hotel precisely. .. . Although the focus of Ms. Fox's story is a middle-class family, she neverlets us forget the way race and class affect destiny. . . . Young readers need--and deserve--to understand homelessness. . . . {This novel} attempts an accurate picture and succeeds in moving us. Description from The New York Times Book Review
Web Warriors: Memories End By James Luceno	CYBERSPACE—THE REAL FINAL FRONTIER The place: New York City. The time: any day now. Tech and Marz are brothers, orphans, and misfits just about everywhere—except on the Virtual Network, where their monster gaming skills leave challengers choking on their datatrails; and their hacking expertise earns them serious cash as freelance cyber-sleuths, running down lost information and missing persons on the Web. The more extreme the cyber-sport, and the tougher the security codes, the better Tech and Marz like it. A mean game of Death Run is nothing for Tech and Marz. But almost getting killed—for real—on a routine virtual mission is a whole different deal. And that’s exactly what a shapeless, demonic cyber-thing tries to do when Tech accidentally frees a mysterious kidnap victim deep inside a government database. The run-in leaves the brothers with a ton of fried hardware and too many unanswered questions. But they’re heading into the dark and dangerous underbelly of the virtual world to do some extreme detective work—and crack what could be the motherboard of all mysteries. And this death run is no game. Description from Publisher
The Planet of Junior Brown By Virginia Hamilton	Awards: A Newbery Honor Book ALA Notable Children's Books Already a leader in New York's underground world of homeless children, Buddy Clark takes on the responsibility of protecting the overweight, emotionally disturbed friend with whom he has been playing hooky from eighth grade all semester. Description from Publisher
My Fabulous New Life By Sheila Greenwald	Shaken by her family's move from a wealthy suburban house to a cramped apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, 11-year-old Alison finds the beggars and crazies on the crowded city streets "disgusting." She longs for the time when she knew nothing about the homeless, when everyone in her neighborhood looked "normal." Then gradually, as she makes friends and begins to feel at home, she tries to find a way to help the poor people around her. Greenwald raises important issues that concern kids everywhere, and she does it without heavy preaching or sentimental resolution. Alison's first-person narrative is funny and honest. When she collects money in her building to buy food for the street people, she wonders whether she's using other people's bad luck to make herself important. She sees that her do-gooder activist friend is impossibly self-righteous, even if she does have some good ideas. The characters are interesting, the brand names and slang contemporary, and the irony nearly as strong about the do-gooders as about the snobs. Underneath it all is the fear we all recognize: What if I were homeless? Descripiton from Booklist
Wishing on a Star (Cheetah Girls, No. 1) By Deborah Gregory	Straight out of the "jiggy jungle" ("a magical place inside every big city where dreams really come true-and every cheetah has its day") comes a new series just for "divettes-in-training" ("girls who can't afford Prada or Gucci-yet"). Galleria, named after a famous shopping mall, and her friend Chanel live in New York City and dream of becoming famous. They decide that two singers are not enough and convince three other girls to join them. Most of the plot centers around forming a group, booking a gig at the Kats and Kittys Halloween Bash, designing costumes, and practicing for the big event. Along the way, the five girls learn about one another, quarrel, and, of course, forgive. They are true series characters, growing just enough to leave room for more stories. Gregory's playful use of language is consistent and fun. For other "peeps" (people), a handy glossary is appended. Cameo photos of young models posing as the characters grace the front and back covers. The Cheetah Girl Credo is printed at the beginning of the book and is spoken on the mini-CD that accompanies the book. The credo suggests all Cheetah Girls are created equal, but not alike, and is upheld by the characters, who are mixed-race African American, Italian, and Dominican. A light read for young teens who dream of stardom Description from School Library Journal
It's Like This, Cat By Emily Cheney Neville	Awards: 1964 Newbery Medal ALA Notable Children's Books 1940-1970 My father is always talking about how a dog can be very educational for a boy. This is one reason I got a cat. Dave Mitchell and his father disagree on almost everything: Dave's music, his hair, even what makes a better pet, a dog or a cat. Dave's father thinks that a dog could be very educational. So dave gets Cat. Cat is a strong-willed tomcat who loves adventure almost as much as Dave does. With Cat around, Dave meets lots of new people - like Tom, a young dropout on his own in the city, and Mary, the first girl he can talk to like a real person. As things change, Dave starts to understand his father a little better. They still don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but there is one thing they can both agree on: Having a cat can be very educational, too - especially when it's one like Cat. Description from Publisher This is superb — the best junior novel I've ever read about big-city life. Description from The New York Times Book Review
Alphabet City Ballet By Erika Tamar	Awards: 1996 America’s Commended List (CLASP) "A dream isn't about things," Marisol argues, "a dream is who you want to be." And when the 10-year-old wins a scholarship to the Manhattan Ballet School, she discovers that her dream is to be a dancer. Unfortunately, her much loved older brother, Luis, has a more dangerous dream: to go to work for the neighborhood drug lord. Tamar's novel about the struggles of a single-parent Puerto Rican family to survive in New York City is saved from problem-novel predictability by the strength of its characterizations, the believably guarded friendship that develops between Marisol and a Haitian girl who lives in a nearby shelter, and the nicely realized details of the mean streets-Lower East Side setting. Description from Booklist Marisol has always loved to dance—to the salsa at family parties, to the boom boxes on Loisada Avenue. Then she wins a scholarship to ballet school and discovers an inspiring new world of beauty and discipline. But when violence erupts in Alphabet City, Marisol’s dream starts to slip away. To keep dancing she must make heartbreaking choices—perhaps impossible ones. Description from Publisher Ten-year-old Marisol Perez has lived with her father and older brother Luis in New York City's Lower East Side, (often called Alphabet City) all of her life. This lower middle class neighborhood is fairly safe during the day, but becomes dangerous and sinister at night, when the prostitutes, drunks, drug users and dealers, come out. When Marisol and a Haitian refugee classmate, Desiree, are suddenly chosen to receive scholarships to the prestigious Manhattan School of Ballet, she enthusiastically tries to follow a new and often difficult path to a better and more fulfilling life. Marisol and her Puerto Rican family are appealing and believable, and the author does a good job depicting the discipline and fascination of the ballet world. Description from Children's Literature New York City is an exciting place, even for motherless Marisol. A spirited 10-year-old, she loves dance, especially the dances of her Papi's native Puerto Rico. Movement and music allow her to forget the small apartment, the street with its drugs and poverty, and her worries about her older brother Luis. When Marisol is offered a scholarship to ballet school, her world opens up. Along with Desire, a recent Haitian immigrant, she finds a new love, but fears the loss of her brother to Tito, the drug dealer. Tamar depicts the city with an expert hand; street scenes come to life with the language, movement, and music of a vibrantly alive place. Spanish phrases enrich this realistic depiction. Marisol could be any child with her excitement and desire for a dream come true. A father's struggle to maintain his home and family, a brother's wish for adulthood, and the challenge of living in an urban center with its myriad tensions are all effectively portrayed. Plot and characters are carefully developed and create a sense of energy that catches readers and holds them to the final page. Good booktalk potential. Description from School Library Journal
Harry Cat's Pet Puppy By George Selden	"Get that thing out of here!" Tucker shouted. Tucker Mouse was waiting impatiently in the drainpipe in the Times Square subway station where he and his friend, Harry Cat, made their home. And when Harry finally came home, he was dragging with him what looked like a dirty dish mop. It was a puppy. "It's staying for supper?" asked Tucker incredulously. Huppy was to stay a good deal longer than that, and Tucker and Harry were kept busy seeing to the needs of their new pet. As their fondness for Huppy grew, so did the dog, until the day came when he no longer fitted into the drainpipe. A new home had to be found for him-but where? Surely not with Max, leader of the Bryant Park pack of strays! If only Miss Catherine, the high-toned Siamese cat of Mr. Smedley, the music teacher, could be persuaded to accept an addition to the family . .. Description from Publisher
Jennifer, Hecate, MacBeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth By E. L. Konigsburg	Elizabeth is the loneliest only child in the whole US of A until she discovers Jennifer. Of course, Jennifer isn't a friend, really. Witches don't make friends, and Jennifer is a witch. Elizabeth becomes her apprentice, however, and in the process of learning how to become a witch herself, she also learns how to eat raw eggs, how to cast short spells, and how to get along with Jennifer, among other things. The relationship lasts from fall into spring. The girls meet each Saturday at the library and go from there to the park where they hold special ceremonies and read books on Witchcraft. The climax of their joint effort is to be a flying ointment, but it is here that trouble crops up. Though this story is set in suburban New York City, it could happen anywhere, for Elizabeth's problem, and Jennifer's problem, the need for a friend, can happen to anyone. Description from Publisher
Bluish: A Novel By Virginia Hamilton	Bluish is unlike any girl 10-year-old Dreenie has ever seen. At school she sits in a wheelchair, her skin so pale it's almost blue. Dreenie, herself new to the New York City magnet school, is fascinated by her, but wary as well. Unaware that the name Bluish could have derogatory connotations ("Blewish," for Black and Jewish), she fixates on the moonlight blue skin tones of this curiously fragile child. Together with Tuli, a bi-racial girl who pretends to be Spanish (often with poignantly comical results), the three carefully forge a bond of friendship, stumbling often as they confront issues of illness, ethnicity, culture, need, and hope. Description from Amazon.com At first, Dreenie doesn't know what to make of Natalie, the sick girl in a wheelchair who is part of her fifth-grade class in a New York City magnet school. The kids call Natalie "Bluish," not because of her ethnicity (her dad's black and her mom's Jewish) but because her pale skin has a bluish tint caused by all the chemotherapy she's had for cancer. Dreenie tries to be nice, but she's scared ("What if she dies? What if I die?"), and Bluish demands respect, not pity; she hates people who hover like a helicopter. Hamilton tells rather than shows Dreenie's growing bond with Bluish, but through Dreenie's eyes--in journal entries and sharp vignettes--we watch Bluish becoming part of the dynamic classroom. What's best is the funny, touching portrait of another classmate, Tuli, who is so needy that she pretends to be Spanish ("Hokay, ho-ney, we take care. Cuidado!"). She desperately wants to be Dreenie's best pal, and Dreenie is sorry for Tuli, but it's Bluish who is Dreenie's soulmate. Hamilton gets the way kids talk. Like Bluish, she makes us "stop and look." Many readers will be caught by the jumpy, edgy story of sorrow and hope, of kids trying to be friends. Description from Booklist A child coming off chemotherapy wins new friends and acceptance from her class in this short, upbeat tale from Hamilton (Second Cousins, 1998, etc.). At first, Dreenie doesn't know what to make of the girl, Natalie, who is in a wheelchair and knit cap, and who is called ``Bluish'' by the fifth graders not because she's black and Jewish (as Natalie's mother assumes), but because her skin is translucent. New herself, Dreenie quickly finds the right mix of distance and intimacy to be comfortable around her moody, fragile classmate, and soon others are gathering, tooespecially after Natalie presents everyone with a wool cap like hers. Hamilton tells the tale from Dreenie's point of view, moving back and forth between first and third person, sketching feelings and reactions in quick, vivid strokes: ``[Bluish] made me care about what was all so scary, so sad and so hurt with her too. To me she is just Bluish child, Bluish ill serious. Bluish close with us. Someday Bluish just like us./Maybe.'' While Natalie's future remains clouded, the story's tone is set by the pains, and the pleasures, of the moment: exchanging gifts, banter, friendship, and respect. The three children in Leo and Diane Dillons' jacket painting are misleadingly grave, but the designs in their knit caps and scarves evoke the author's poetic, richly textured prose. Description from Kirkus Reviews
A Nose for Adventure By Richard Scrimger	In this hilarious sequel to The Nose from Jupiter, Alan is to take his first airplane ride. He is off to New York, where his father will meet him for some “quality time” together. There are one or two snags, though. First, his father isn’t at the airport. Then there’s his cranky seatmate, Frieda, who is almost kidnapped while she’s waiting for her wheelchair at the baggage claim. Sally, an abandoned mutt, joins the scene. And finally, Norbert is back. He is an alien from Jupiter who had previously taken up residence in Alan’s nose when he was on a fact-finding mission to Earth. Alan had been, to say the least, an unwilling host to