IMCPL Staff Recommends for Kids http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Looking for a good book? Try these recommendations from Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library staff members! en-US My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Derek, 12, a reluctant reader who loves mischievous antics, wants to spend his summer vacation anywhere but Learning Camp. But learning to visualize a book like a movie in your head and solving a mystery about his past make it easy for Derek to see that life itself is a story. Larger print and stick figures illustrating vocabulary words make this book appealing to those who like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate.
Recommendation for the Week of December 26, 2011 Amelia and the Other Side of Yuletide by Jimmy Gownley http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html At Christmas, Amelia and her friends are determined to discover the truth behind Santa Claus. Why is it that some kids get everything they ask for, some kids get socks and deodorant, and some kids get nothing...even though they have ALL been exceedingly good?! As Amelia says, "I can't believe Santa would stiff someone like that!" The kids make a plan to find out the truth, a plan that eventually involves mall security and coming perilously close to being on the naughty list waaaay too close to Christmas. Amelia and her friends get to the heart of the matter and discover a truth that we all suspected all along anyway.
Recommendation for the Week of December 12, 2011 Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html The first time Jack Gantos met Miss Volker, she was cooking her hands. He fainted dead away and when he came to, she had a job for him to do: helping her write obituaries for Norvelt's newspaper. Before long, Jack's not sure that she won't soon be writing his obituary. Between his nosebleeds, the Hell's Angels revenge visits to town, old Mr. Spizz's incessant wooing of Miss Volker, and Jack's best friend Bunny torturing him with gory stories garnered from her father's funeral business, he's pretty sure he's not going to survive the summer.
Recommendation for the Week of December 5, 2011 Lizards by Nic Bishop http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Have you ever wondered what a lizard looks like close up? Nic Bishop's newest book Lizards may just be for you. Every page is filled with a different lizard, sometimes up to 6 times the actual size! See lizards eat, glide, run, hatch and more—all in amazing detail. The incredible photography in this book will have you fascinated for hours. If you like this one, check out Nic Bishop's other books: Spiders, Frogs, Butterflies and Moths, and Marsupials.
Recommendation for the Week of November 28, 2011 Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html What would you do if you knew there was a witness to a murder but you couldn't tell anyone? That is what happens to Theo Boone. Theo realizes he has to convince the witness, who doesn't trust the police, to come forward and tell the truth before the murderer goes free. Will the witness tell the police and will Theo see justice served? Find out the answers when you read Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer.
Recommendation for the Week of November 21, 2011 Lost and Found by Andrew Clements http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html On the first day of sixth grade, in a brand new school, Jay Grayson makes a fascinating discovery -- the school has no record of his identical twin Ray. Jay makes the decision not to tell the school that Ray is home sick and enjoys a day of not being "one of the Grayson twins." At home, Jay convinces his brother to take turns with him at school for a few days so they can both experience not having a twin. How long can the boys successfully carry out their crazy plan?
Recommendation for the Week of November 14, 2011 The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Being near a bee strikes fear into many people. That will change after reading The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns. Bees produce honey which we all enjoy. But bees also are an integral part of our food production. By enlightening readers to the ultimate disaster of Colony Collapse Disorder, readers will better understand how the over-use of insecticides has imperiled fruit and vegetable pollination. This is a beautiful book that opens a window ecologically, socially and inspirationally.
Recommendation for the Week of October 31, 2011 Lunch Box Dream by Tony Abbott http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Bobby and Jacob are both on a journey during the summer of 1959. The boys live in a segregated America and do not have contact with other races. As a result they have misconceptions about race. On their journey they discover that blacks and whites are not that different from each other. Lunch-Box Dream also reflects on causes and consequences of the Civil War. The two main characters learn lessons and encounter new experiences that reflect on the past and influence their future.
Recommendation for the Week of October 24, 2011 The Garden of Empress Cassia by Gabrielle Wang http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html Mimi is given a wooden box with a beautiful oriental garden inlaid on the lid and Chinese characters carved around the sides that read: Empress Cassia Supreme Ruler of all China 80 Sticks of the finest China Pastels A Treasure for Some A Curse for Others. Inside are rows and rows of colors “so delicate they looked as though they had been made from the gossamer wings of fairies”. In Mimi's hands the pastels reflect what lies in her good heart. Her drawings are so beautiful they change peoples' lives. But, when Gemma steals the pastels it's a different story. Only Mimi can prevent a tragedy.
Recommendation for the Week of October 17, 2011 Alanna : the first adventure by Tamora Pierce http://www.imcpl.org/kids/stories/staffrec/index.html

This coming of age fantasy is for every child that ever felt like they were less than others because they weren't the biggest or the strongest. Ten year old Allana of Trebond swaps places with her twin brother so she can become a valiant knight of the realm. Along the way she befriends a king of thieves and a royal prince. She also makes some powerful enemies while trying to master her unique magic. Alanna manages all of this while being disguised… as a boy! This is the first book in a tetralogy*, The Song of the Lioness series. *A series with four books is called a tetralogy. Neat, right?


Recommendation for the Week of October 10, 2011