New Children's Fiction
Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M. T. Anderson.
In need of a vacation after their last laser-beam-filled adventure, Lily, Jasper, and Katie have flown off for a restful stay at a distant mountain lodge, which just so happens to be hosting a gathering for characters from other middle-grade series novels. Two--the marvelous Manley Boys--look suspiciously like a pair of crime-solving brothers named Frank and Joe Hardy. Two others are a pair of boy-crazy twin sisters who attend a high school in some sweet valley somewhere. And then there are the Hooper Quints, who, along with a wealthy heiress's priceless diamond necklace, have suddenly gone missing.
Fairies of Nutfolk Wood by Barb Bentler Ullman.
In the country town of Plunkit, where Willa and her mom start anew after her parents' divorce, Willa catches sight of a strange sparkle by the creek and in the old woods. Her older-than-old neighbor, Hazel Wicket, has an amusing story about these surroundings and an imagined family of tiny people that inhabit a tree stump. Willa knows there's no such thing as fairies, but when she spots more and more oddities around her, she can't stop an itchy feeling that there's some certainty to Hazel's curious tales of the Nutfolk.
Junie B., first grader: Aloha-ha-ha! by Barbara Park.
Excitable Junie B. Jones manages to find trouble both before and during a trip to Hawaii and records each incident in a photo journal given to her by her teacher.
The Pack by Tom Pow.
A band of children must scavenge to survive in a post-apocalyptic future where forbidden territories exist and the line between man and beast is blurred.
The Unvisibles by Ian Whybrow.
After twelve-year-old Oliver recites an ancient Indian magical spell and becomes invisible, he enlists the aid of his classmate, Nicky, and the two of them join forces to undo the damage as well as to help their families and themselves.