Bravo, Max!

After seeing a Christmas show, Max decides he’d like to write a play, so he asks D.J. Lucas to help him. At the same time, he has to cope with a bossy, talkative babysitter and a new man in his mother’s life. Little by little Max comes to terms with sharing his mother, and his play reveals some of the turmoil in his life.

Kite

Taylor loves birds and collects eggs. He has the rare opportunity to enhance his collection when a pair of red kites nest nearby. The only problem is, the red kites are extremely rare – only twenty-five are left in the country. Taylor’s father, a gamekeeper, is under orders from his boss, the landowner Reg Harris, to kill the kites, who are birds of prey and will go after Harris’s grouse population. For Taylor, the temptation also to take the eggs from the kites’ nest becomes insurmountable when Harris actually asks him to do the job, even though it is illegal. Pangs of terrible guilt follow, and although Taylor tells Harris he’s gotten rid of the incriminating evidence, he secretly salvages and hatches one egg. But as soon as the bird is born, elaborate plans must be made to keep its existence a secret in order to save it from being shot during the approaching hunting season.

No Small Thing

Full of heart and humor, this coming-of-age tale is no small thing — the tale of a boy’s search for love and identity in the face of longing, abandonment, and uncertainty. When twelve-year-old Nathaniel and his two sisters discover an ad in the paper for a free pony, they can hardly believe their luck. But what will their mother say? Mom’s been having a hard time ever since Dad walked out on them four years ago. But caring for a pony might keep Nat and his older sister, Cid, from bickering, and it would mean so much to eight-year-old Queenie. It takes some serious persuasion — and a promise to use Nat’s paper route money for the pony’s keep — but Mom finally relents. And so begins a year of self-discovery, as Nat struggles to deal with his father’s absence; look out for his younger sister, who is “different”; and recover from having his heart broken by a rich, pretty girl from school. Life is not always easy, but Nat knows that Smokey, his very own pony, will be waiting for him at the end of each day. Or will he?

Zack

The son of a Jewish father and black mother, high school senior Zack has never been allowed to meet his mother’s family, but after doing a research project on a former slave, he travels from his home in Canada to Natchez, Mississippi to find his grandfather.

Unspoken

In this wordless picture book, a young Southern farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding behind the corn crib in the barn and decides to help him.

Join the discussion of Unspoken as well as other books centered around relocation on our My Take/Your Take page.

Time Flies

Time Flies , a wordless picture book, is inspired by the theory that birds are the modern relatives of dinosaurs. This story conveys the tale of a bird trapped in a dinosaur exhibit at a natural history museum. Through Eric’s use of color, readers can actually see the bird enter into a mouth of a dinosaur, and then escape unscathed.

Join the discussion of Time Flies as well as other books centered around relocation on our My Take/Your Take page.

The Girl And The Bicycle

A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yardwork. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman.

Join the discussion of The Girl And The Bicycle as well as other books centered around relocation on our My Take/Your Take page.

Here I Am

Newly arrived from their faraway homeland, a boy and his family enter into the lights, noise, and traffic of a busy American city. The language is unfamiliar. Food, habits, games, and gestures are puzzling. They boy clings tightly to his special keepsake from home and wonders how he will find his way.

Join the discussion of Here I Amas well as other books centered around relocation on our My Take/Your Take page.

Featured in WOW Review Volume IX, Issue 4.

School Days Around The World

“What is a school? Is it a building with classrooms? Or can it be any place where children learn?” The fascinating stories that follow will expand how young readers think of school, as they learn about the experiences of real children in thirteen different countries around the world.