Suspended from school for cussing at a mean teacher, John “Spud”’ Sweetgrass at least still has his job selling french fries from a curbside “chip wagon.” But he notices that something stinks — literally. It’s the smell of rancid cooking oil at a polluted Ottawa beach. His suspicions aroused, Spud follows Dumper Stubbs, a creepy delivery man who services local restaurants and chip wagons. Spud gets angry when he sees Dumper living up to his name, dumping oil into a storm drain and causing terrible pollution in the river. When Spud blows the whistle, he loses his job. Enlisting the help of his buddy Dink the Thinker, and Connie Pan — whom he calls his girlfriend though she isn’t exactly that — Spud thinks he has a chance of regaining his job and stopping the Dumper’s harmful activities. In the background of this offbeat farce are serious issues that Spud must also deal with, including his father’s death, his mother’s withdrawal into grief, and his own awkward transition through adolescence. Brian Doyle expertly interweaves comedy and important contemporary concerns of young people in this vivid story with a message.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDreonald No Combina
Marisol McDonald, a biracial, nonconformist, soccer-playing pirate-princess with brown skin and red hair, celebrates her uniqueness.
A Circle Of Cats
One a quiet day, when the wind was still, the creek could be heard all the way up to where the old beech stood. Under its branches, cats would come to dream and be dreamed. Black cats and calicos, white cats and marmalade ones, too. But they hadn’t yet gathered the day the orphan girl fell asleep among its roots, nestling in the weeds and long grass like the gangly, tousle-haired girl she was. Her names was Lillian.
Lillian is an orphan who lives with her aunt on a homested miles from anyone, surrounded by uncharted forest. She wanders the woods, chasing after squirrels and rabbits and climbing trees like a possum. Free-spirited and independent, Lillian is kindard soul to the many wild cats who gather around the ancient beech tree. One day, while she is under the beech, Lillian is bitten by a poisonous snake. The cats refuse to let her die, and use their magic to turn her into one of their own. How she becomes a girl again is a lyrical, original folklore that begs to be read aloud. Set in the hill country outside of the author’s fictional city of Newford, A Circle of Cats is the much anticipated first picture book by longtime friends Charles de Lint and Charles Vess, whose art is as magical as the story.
The Adventures of Medical Man
Being sick or injured is no fun for children, but not knowing what is happening may be worse. Enter Dr. Michael Evans, who will explain to young readers everything they need to know when an illness or injury occurs. Uniquely structured around five different movie genres and one comic book, each chapter features a common illness or injury with Dr. Mike in the starring role, explaining the causes, symptoms and cures Whether it’s a nut allergy in the action-packed “They Came From Mars!,” a broken wrist in the bone-chilling “The Werewolf Who Snapped” or strep throat in the suspense-filled “Adventures of Medical Man and Wondrous Boy,” each story is packed with fascinating medical information. Other common conditions covered in the book include concussion, ear infection and asthma and are vividly explained. Complete with diagrams, sidebars and a glossary and dramatized by Gareth Williams’s stunning illustrations, this book will be a comfort to any child dealing with an injury or illness.
The Umbrella Queen
When Noot is finally allowed to paint umbrellas like the other women and girls in her village, she secretly hopes that she might be chosen as this year’s Umbrella Queen. Carefully, she creates serene flowers and butterflies- exactly as she has seen her mother and grandmother do for years.
But soon her imagination takes over, and Noot finds herself straying from the old patterns to the dismay of her family, who depend on the traditionally painted umbrellas for their livelihood.
Her parents tell her she must go back to the old designs and Noot obeys, knowing that the King is coming soon to name the one who has painted the most beautiful umbrella. After all, the King would never choose a queen who breaks from tradition…would he?
Wombats
This story presents, in text and photographs, the habits, life cycle, and natural environment of the Australian wombat, one of the world’s largest burrowing animals.
Town Mouse Country Mouse
A town mouse and a country mouse exchange visits and discover each is suited to his own home. Peep-holes in some of the pages allow the reader to guess at what happens next.
Ranger’s Apprentice: Erak’s Ransom
What does it mean to earn the Silver Oakleaf? So few men have done so. For Will, a mere boy, that symbol of honor has long felt out of reach. Now, in the wake of Araluen’s uneasy truce with the raiding Skandians comes word that the Skandian leader has been captured by a dangerous desert tribe. The Rangers are sent to free him. But the desert is like nothing these warriors have seen before. Strangers in a strange land, they are brutalized by sandstorms, beaten by the unrelenting heat, tricked by one tribe that plays by its own rules, and surprisingly befriended by another. Like a desert mirage, nothing is as it seems. Yet one thing is constant: the bravery of the Rangers. In this red-hot adventure, winner of the Australian Book of the Year Award for Older Children, John Flanagan raises the stakes on the series that has already sold millions of copies worldwide.
Wild Wings
The majestic Osprey is an endangered bird that hasn’t been seen in Scotland for years, so when Iona McNair locates an Osprey nest, she’s desperate to keep the bird safe from poachers. She shares her secret with her classmate Callum, and the two become friends as they work to save the Osprey they’ve named Isis. They’re able to get the bird tagged by a preservationist, but after Isis flies to Africa for the winter, her signal becomes stagnant, then lost. Spurred by a promise to Iona, who has fallen ill, Callum is determined to track and save Isis, and a leap of faith and the magic of e-mail connects him with a girl in Gambia who can help him make good—in more ways than one. Set against the dramatic landscapes of Scotland and West Africa, this is a timeless tale of hope and friendship—a heartwarming novel infused with the beauty of nature.
The Rabbit Girl
What is the secret of Mallie’s picture? The mystery unfolds as evacuees Tony and Alice escape the terrors of London’s Blitz for the Lake District, where they befriend a fascinating and fearless old lady.