Age

Catalog sorted by age group

Castle in the Air

Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare—and disagreeable—magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydreams. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah’s eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn’t all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn’s mysterious dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?

Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep

Elsie Piddock is a born skipper. By the time she’s seven, the tireless girl can even outskip the fairies and is rewarded with a gift of rare and lasting value. Can she use it many years later to save the children’s fabled skipping grounds from a greedy, factory-building lord?

Theories of Relativity

Sixteen-year-old Dylan Wallace is living on the streets not through any choice of his own, unlike some of the teenagers he meets in the same situation. He’s been cut loose by his unstable mother, and lost most contact with his two younger brothers. He has nothing but his backpack stuffed with a few precious belongings and the homeless kids he meets. At least he has his theories. No one can take those away from him. Like how every fourth person throws him spare change; how no one does anything for anyone without a price; and how he just might be able to find a place in this complicated world.

A Hand Full of Stars

A teenager who wants to be a journalist in a suppressed society describes to his diary his daily life in his hometown of Damascus, Syria.

Frida: Viva La Vida! Long Live Life!

Frida Kahlo, a native of Mexico, is described here in biographical poems accompanied by her own artwork. Both text and images reveal the anguish and joy of her two marriges to muralist Diego Rivera, her life-long suffering from a crippling bus accident, and her thrist for life, even as she tasted death. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand’s powerful poems and Frida Kahlo’s extraordinary painting capture the intensity and passion that make Frida stand out as an important twentieth century painter.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 5, Issue 3

Frozen Fire

A paranormal thriller from Carnegie Medal–winner Tim Bowler! It starts with a phone call. “I’m dying,” a voice tells Dusty. Who is he and how has he gotten her cell number? Dusty wants no part of this strange boy . . . until he begins saying things that only someone who knows her intimately could say—things that lead her to think he knows the whereabouts of her brother, who disappeared over a year ago. Suddenly drawn in, Dusty very much wants to save this boy. Trouble is, she cannot find him. Part human, part spirit, he won’t let himself be found. He is too dangerous, he says. There are mobs of people who agree and who want to see this boy dead . . . and who will hurt anyone who stands in their way. A gripping, hair-raising mystery about a boy not of this world, and a girl determined to protect him.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Marcia Williams retells nine favorite Chaucerian tales in her witty, engaging comic-strip style. Step back into the Middle Ages for a boisterous, bawdy storytelling session led by the one and only Chaucer. Marcia Williams uses her signature comic-strip format to animate nine Canterbury classics, including “The Clerk’s Tale,” “The Miller’s Tale,” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale.”

Stories at the Door

Cleverly threaded together by verses describing the arrival of stories that enter boldly through the door and stay just long enough to have their say, these tales have been rendered anew by a master storyteller. In “Jesper and the Jackrabbits,” simple wits add up to wonderful wisdom — and rich reward. “Jacinth Wins Words” will spark hilarity, as two sisters compete with surprising and malodorous weapons. The cumulative “Cat and Mouse Tale” is nonsensical fun while “Jacinth Finds Fear” points up what is really important and worth dwelling on. “Jane Saves the Day” is one-upmanship at its best and demonstrates just how powerful underdogs can be. The stories point out our human faults and remind us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Thumbelina: Tiny Runaway Bride

This is a contemporary retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. It’s about a tiny girl just the size of your thumb. The tiny girl becomes separated from her overprotective mother, has adventures with various animals, and records her feelings in a diary as she gains self-reliance and searches for someone to love.

Escape the Mask

Coriko has never known a world beyond his cell and the fields where he toils all day. He does what he’s told and tries not to anger the Spears, the cruel, masked jailers who guard him and the other child slaves. If he gathers baskets of shards and keeps quiet and orderly, then he can spend time with his cellmate and best friend, Pippa. But without warning, the children’s orderly lives begin to change—slowly at first, with the arrival of a pair of siblings who speak Coriko and Pippa’s language. Soon after, violent events shake up the quiet world of Grassland, and Coriko must find the strength to grasp his freedom.