Issue: December 2008

Red Land Yellow River: A Story From The Cultural Revolution

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
When Mao’s Cultural Revolution took hold in China in 1966, Ange Zhang was 13 years old. He lived with his family in Beijing, he attended school and excelled in drawing, and his father was a famous writer whose “Yellow River Cantata” was widely considered to be the anthem of the revolution. Yet soon, Ange’s life [...]
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Roots and Wings

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
GRACE’S GRANDMOTHER HAS died, and she and her mother must travel back to the Cambodian community to give her a proper Cambodian funeral. But Grace wants to use the trip to solve a few mysteries, like who her father was, why her mother and grandmother moved from St. Petersburg to Pennsylvania, where they’re the only [...]
Posted in Cambodia, Intermediate (Gr. 4-8), Realistic Fiction, United States of America | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Bridge to the Stars

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
12-year-old Joel lives with his father in the cold northern part of Sweden. At night he often sneaks out of the house to look for a lonely dog he has seen from his window. On the bridge across the icy river he starts a secret society and has adventures. But one night he discovers that [...]
Posted in Intermediate (Gr. 4-8), Realistic Fiction, Sweden | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Inferior

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
STOPMOUTH AND HIS family know of no other life than the daily battle to survive. To live, they must hunt rival species, or negotiate flesh-trade with those who crave meat of the freshest human kind. It is a savage, desperate existence. And for Stopmouth, considered slowwitted hunt-fodder by his tribe, the future looks especially bleak. [...]
Posted in Ireland, Science Fiction, Young Adult (Gr. 9-12) | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Entertainer and the Dybbuk

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
One night, the Great Freddie, a young ventriloquist, is possessed by a dybbuk, a Jewish spirit. A scrappy demon who glows as if spray-painted by moonlight. The dybbuk is revealed to be the ghost of a twelve-year-old boy named Avrom Amos, a victim of the Nazis during World War II. In a plucky scheme to [...]
Posted in Fantasy, Germany, Intermediate (Gr. 4-8) | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Magician’s Apprentice

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
It’s summertime 1874 and Jago Stonecipher is tired of being pushed around. The penniless apprentice of a mean-spirited magican, Jago dreams of a better life. It seems his wish is granted when he finds a mysterious message in a watch, which unexpectedly sets off a dangerous chain of events.
Posted in England (UK), Historical Fiction, Intermediate (Gr. 4-8), Mystery | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
Emily is a Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York, end of story. Her mother has family in Puerto Rico, but Emily has never had any contact with them–not until she’s forced to go to the Caribbean for her grandmother’s funeral. Pampered Emily wants nothing to do with her Puerto Rican heritage– until a [...]
Posted in Puerto Rico, Realistic Fiction, United States of America, Young Adult (Gr. 9-12) | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chicken Feathers

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
A talking chicken! Josh knows it sounds ridiculous, but that’s just what Semolina is. And she’s not just a talking chicken. She’s a spirited, sarcastic, sassytalking chicken. And with Josh’s mom in the hospital about to give birth to his sister, Josh needs Semolina more than ever, even if she will only talk in front [...]
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Medusa Jones

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
In ancient Greece lived a little girl called Medusa Jones. Medusa was a Gorgon, but apart from that, pretty normal. So she has snakes for hair instead of gorgeous blond ringlets like Cassandra. So her best friend is half horse. Is that any reason for the popular kids to be SO mean? Medusa’s sure the [...]
Posted in Fantasy, Greece, Intermediate (Gr. 4-8), Myth, Primary (Gr. K-3), Scotland (UK) | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beware of the Frog

By nersum | Published: December 1, 2008
Sweet old Mrs. Collywobbles lives on the edge of a big, dark, scary wood, so it’s a good thing that she has a pet frog to protect her. Too bad for the Greedy Goblin, the Smelly Troll, and the Giant Hungry Ogre, who don’t take this little amphibian seriously!
Posted in England (UK), Fantasy, Picture Book, Primary (Gr. K-3) | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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    Visiting Author: Rosemary Wells

    On October 20, 2010 at 7:00 P.M., Rosemary Wells, illustrator and author of the preschool series Max and Ruby, will be at Worlds of Words physical location on the 4th floor of the College of Education at the University of Arizona.
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    2011 Tucson Festival of Books

    The list of visiting children’s authors for the 2011Tucson Festival of Books is nearing completion. Make your plans to attend the festival on March 11th and 12th. Some of the authors already committed are David Wiesner, Rafael Lopez, Thacher Hurd, E. B. Lewis, Mike Lupica, Margaret Read McDonald, and Lauren Myracle. For more on the book festival . . .

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