I’m Being Stalked by a Moonshadow

As his odd parents fight the regional environmental health officer about their dung-covered house and his melodramatic younger brother demands attention, fourteen-year-old Australian Seth Parrot simply seeks the muscular woman of his dreams.

The Perfect Bear

There once was a bear who was very fine. He was so polished and clean and proud. And that made him the Do Not Touch bear. As time passed, he become worn and gray and much less fine. But he was also loved by a little girl. And that made him the Perfect Bear.

Black Stars In A White Night Sky

Black Stars in a White Night Sky, Lawson’s second book of poetry for children, includes fractonyms, concretes, as well as short lyrics and poems that don’t rhyme. Lawson stretches the boundaries of what is normally thought of as children’s poetry, but not at the expense of the books entertainment value or clarity. The poems are written within hearing of both children and adults; philosophy and tomfoolery are equally at home in this exemplary new tome.

Hatshepsut, His Majesty, Herself

This is an informative picturebook biography of Egypt’s only successful female pharaoh. Hatshepsut gained Egypt’s throne when all her male siblings — including the half brother whom she married — died. Originally named regent to her nephew, Tuthmosis III, Hatshepsut gradually assumed more and more power, and eventually had herself crowned pharaoh. Since no word existed for a female ruler, Hatshepsut used the male title. She also wore men’s clothing and a beard, and referred to herself as “he” as well as “she.”

Hatshepsut’s reign was a peaceful and prosperous one. She sent an expedition to explore Punt, an exotic land of riches, and built beautiful monuments, including a magnificent temple on which she had artists carve and paint scenes from her life and reign. Following her death, Tuthmosis III tried to erase evidence of Hatshepsut’s reign to make it seem as though he had succeeded his father directly.

Catherine M. Andronik explains how, despite this vandalism, archaeologists have been able to piece together the story of this unconventional pharaoh’s life.

Korean Children’s Favorite Stories

Korean Children’s Favorite Stories is a captivating collection of Korean folk tales that have thrived for generations. Some are unique to Korea, while others echo those told in other countries. Written with wit and pathos, they reveal the follies of people everywhere and expose the human-like qualities of animals and the animal-like qualities of humans.

The Smugglers

Young John is charmed by the Dragon, the schooner he is planning to sail to London and use for the honest wool trade. But a mysterious gentleman delivers an ominous warning to “steer clear of that ship,” because the ship was “christened with blood.” The ship looks clever and quick, and the crew seems to know what to do, but with such a warning John is left to wonder how well he really knows what lies ahead. 

A companion book to the adventure, The Wreckers.

Matilda Bone

In her long-awaited new novel, Newbery medalist Karen Cushman assembles a cast of unforgettable characters in a fascinating and pungent setting: the medical quarter of a medieval English village. To Blood and Bone Alley, home of leech, barber-surgeon, and apothecary, comes Matilda, raised by a priest to be pious and learned, and now destined to assist Red Peg the Bonesetter. To Matilda’s dismay, her work will not involve Latin or writing, but lighting the fire, going to market, mixing plasters and poultices, and helping Peg treat patients. Matilda is appalled by the worldliness of her new surroundings and yearns for the days at the manor when all she did was study and pray. Lonely and misunderstood, she seems destined for a fate as tragic as that of any of the sharp-tongued saints she turns to for advice.Filled with the witty dialogue and richly authentic detail that Karen Cushman’s work is known for, Matilda Bone is a compelling comic novel about a girl who learns to see herself and others clearly, to laugh, and to live contentedly in this world.

Cushman’s second book, The Midwife’s Apprentice, was awarded the Newbery Medal.