Maniac Magee or Code of the Clans

Maniac Magee

Author: Jerry Spinelli

He wasn’t born with the name Maniac Magee. He came into this world named Jeffrey Lionel Magee, but when his parents died and his life changed, so did his name. And Maniac Magee became a legend. Even today kids talk about how fast he could run; about how he hit an inside-the-park “frog” homer; how no knot, no matter how snarled, would stay that way once he began to untie it. But the thing Maniac Magee is best known for is what he did for the kids from the East Side and those from the West Side.

Publishers Weekly

In this modern-day tall tale, Spinelli ( Dump Days ; Jason and Marceline ) presents a humorous yet poignant look at the issue of race relations, a rare topic for a work aimed at middle readers. Orphaned as an infant, Jerry Magee is reared by his feuding aunt and uncle until he runs away at age eight. He finds his way to Two Mills, Pa., where the legend of ``Maniac'' Magee begins after he scores major upsets against Brian Denehy, the star high school football player, and Little League tough guy, John McNab. In racially divided Two Mills, the Beales, a black family, take Maniac in, but despite his local fame, community pressure forces him out and he returns to living at the zoo. Park groundskeeper Grayson next cares for the boy, but the old man dies and Maniac moves into the squalid home of the McNabs, who are convinced a race war is imminent. After a showdown with his nemesis, Mars Bar, Maniac bridges the gap between the two sides of town and finally finds a home. Full of snappy street-talk cadences, this off-the-wall yarn will give readers of all colors plenty of food for thought. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-- Warning: this interesting book is a mythical story about racism. It should not be read as reality. Legend springs up about Jeffrey ``Maniac'' Magee, a white boy who runs faster and hits balls farther than anyone, who lives on his own with amazing grace, and is innocent as to racial affairs. After running away from a loveless home, he encounters several families, in and around Two Mills, a town sharply divided into the black East End and the white West End. Black, feisty Amanda Beale and her family lovingly open their home to Maniac, and tough, smart-talking ``Mars Bar'' Thompson and other characters are all, to varying degrees, full of prejudices and unaware of their own racism. Racial epithets are sprinkled throught the book; Mars Bar calls Maniac ``fishbelly,'' and blacks are described by a white character as being ``today's Indians.'' In the final, disjointed section of the book, Maniac confronts the hatred that perpetuates ignorance by bringing Mars Bar to meet the Pickwells--``the best the West End had to offer.'' In the feel-good ending, Mars and Maniac resolve their differences; Maniac gets a home and there is hope for at least improved racial relations. Unreal? Yes. It's a cop-out for Spinelli to have framed this story as a legend--it frees him from having to make it real, or even possible. Nevertheless, the book will stimulate thinking about racism, and it might help educate those readers who, like so many students, have no first-hand knowledge of people of other races. Pathos and compassion inform a short, relatively easy-to-read story with broad appeal, which suggests that to solve problems of racism, people must first know each other as individuals. --Joel Shoemaker, Tilford Middle School, Vinton, IA

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Half tall tale, half novel, Jerry Spinelli's Newbery award winner (Little, 1990) is beautifully narrated by film and television actress S. Epatha Merkerson. The story, which explores such complex concepts as home and race relations, is consistently fresh and surprising. Maniac's search for an address to call his own is poignant, while his feats such as untying Cobble's knot and hitting an "inside-the-park home-run but" with a "frogball" are pure tall tale. Merkerson's word-for-word narration is excellent. She gives subtle distinction to the accents and speech of such varied characters as McNab, Mars Bar, Amanda Beale, and Grayson. Her voice could serve as a definition of the word mellifluous, which makes listening to the story even more pleasurable. No music or other sound effects interrupt the text. Technical quality is excellent throughout. This would be an excellent choice for group listening in classrooms, and is equally good for individual listening. Definitely a first purchase choice for all audiobook collections serving elementary grade students.-Louise Sherman, formerly Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ

See also: Living with Germs or Common Fragrance and Flavor Materials

Code of the Clans (Warriors Series)

Author: Erin Hunter

The secrets behind the warrior code will finally be revealed.

• An ominous sign from StarClan that signaled the need to patrol borders
• The unexpected help from a warrior ancestor that cemented the importance of elders
• A secret coup that led to a deputy's new role
• A medicine cat's pleas that stopped a spree of interClan bloodshed

and many more never-before-told stories!

Treasure Island or The Care and Keeping of You

Treasure Island (Sterling Unabridged Classics Series)

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

The illustrations for this series were created by Scott McKowen, who, with his wife Christina Poddubiuk, operates Punch & Judy Inc., a company specializing in design and illustration for theater and performing arts. Their projects often involve research into the visual aspects of historical settings and characters. Christina is a theater set and costume designer and contributed advice on the period clothing for the illustrations.

Scott created these drawings in scratchboard ­ an engraving medium which evokes the look of popular art from the period of these stories. Scratchboard is an illustration board with a specifically prepared surface of hard white chalk. A thin layer of black ink is rolled over the surface, and lines are drawn by hand with a sharp knife by scraping through the ink layer to expose the white surface underneath. The finished drawings are then scanned and the color is added digitally.

Sneaky pirates, sailing ships, buried treasure, exotic lands, and murderous mutiny: what could be better to win over even the most reluctant boy reader? Robert Louis Stevenson serves up thrills, chills, and plenty of action in this timeless, and much-admired adventure novel.

Books about: Weight Loss for African American Women or Hope to Die

The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls (AmericanGirl Library)

Author: Valorie Lee Schaefer

This "head-to-toe" guide answers all your questions, from hair care to healthy eating, bad breath to bras, periods to pimples, and everything in between. With tips, how-to's, letters from girls, and facts from the experts, here's straightforward advice you can really use.

Amazing Peace or Skippyjon Jones

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

Author: Maya Angelou

In this beautiful, deeply moving poem, Maya Angelou inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. "Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward," she writes, "and speak the word aloud. Peace."

Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou's celebration of the "Glad Season" is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and a beautiful holiday gift for people of all faiths.

Children's Literature

Knowing the widely varied styles the illustrators have used in the past, I was eager to examine their choices for Angelou's inspiring poem. They met the daunting task with great imagination, inspired talent, and spiritual grace suitable for the intent of the poem. First read at the White House Tree Lighting Ceremony in 2005, Angelou's welcome to the Christmas season is the expression of a community's joining in a celebration of peace. Angelou's hope for a "community" coming together in a moment of unified acceptance of the idea of living peacefully together is a reflection of her own hopes for the entire world. Her words of hope, peace, and understanding are perfectly complemented by the scenes of a small town's procession toward a "market square gathering" of people of all ethnicities and beliefs. Candlelight shines in the beautiful faces of the population as we follow one particular family as it passes the street musician, the artist at the Glass Art shop, the children building snowmen, the shoppers in the streets—each time obviously inviting everyone to join them in their trek to the center of town. The final scene shows everyone standing together in a shining moment of universal understanding and peace. The illustrations are a marvelous incorporation of oils, acrylics, and the use of textured fabrics—melded together in a perfect echo of Angelou's stirring words. The colors are softly muted but glowingly alive—the depth of the textures and the saturation of the colors give the pictures a "touchable" reality that invites the reader right into the charming scenes. There is much to discuss and think about in this collaboration of exceptional artistry and powerful poem.Hearing Angelou read the poem on the enclosed CD is a very moving experience—a stroke of genius on the part of the publisher. Add this title to every collection—public or personal. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan

School Library Journal

Gr 3 Up

This poem was largely inspired by the terrible natural disasters occurring throughout the world when Angelou was invited to read at the 2005 White House tree-lighting ceremony. Thus, the opening lines rumble and roil almost menacingly to illustrate the climate of doubt and anxiety into which the spirit of Christmas arrives. Hope enters as a whisper and grows until it is "louder than the explosion of bombs." The harsher aspects of the world fade as people of all faiths and races join together in trust and brotherhood. Johnson and Fancher's paintings, rendered in oil, acrylic, and fabric on canvas, elegantly depict a calm, snow-blanketed village where children play, families shop, and artisans ply their crafts. People gather at the Town Hall for sweets and cocoa, and then, in a candlelight procession, join again to sing beneath the stars. This is a comforting book that gets to the heart of what Christmas should mean. As an added treat, Angelou reads the poem on the accompanying CD.-Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Angelou's poem considers peace as a joyous concept that rises up during the Christmas season, drawing in and including those of all faiths, sweeping everyone along with its power. This visual interpretation of the poem follows the residents of a small town as they trek through deep snow to gather at their town hall for a holiday celebration. Although there are lighted Christmas trees throughout the town, this particular celebration is a nondenominational community dinner and candle-lighting, with people of many faiths and backgrounds joining together in peaceful solidarity. Johnson and Fancher's understated, mixed-media illustrations use fabric scraps for plaid and checked coats on the townspeople, with darker fabrics for buildings and thick brushstrokes of white paint over cloth for the snow. Although doubtlessly well-intended, the author's invitation to Buddhists, Confucians, Jains, Jews and Muslims-not to mention "Nonbelievers"-to join in the celebration of "the Birth of Jesus Christ / Into the great religions of the world" is at best tone-deaf and at worst frankly assimilationist. (Picture book/poetry. 6 & up)

Book about: Creating Emotion in Games or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Unleashed R2 Edition

Skippyjon Jones

Author: Judy Schachner

My name is Skippito Friskito.

I fear not a single bandito.
My manners are mellow,
I'm sweet like the Jell-O,
I get the job done, yes indeed-o.
Skippyjon Jones is no ordinary kitten. Oh, no. . . .He's actually El Skippito, a great sword-fighter ready to battle banditos the world over! With a little imagination and a whole lot of fun, this frisky cat dons a mask and cape and takes on a bad bumble-beeto to save the day. And along the way, he'll be sure to steal young reader's hearts, yes indeed-o!

Publishers Weekly

The Siamese hero of this caper sleeps in a nest-with the birds-and is convinced that he's really a Chihuahua in disguise, and saves his pals from a giant Bumblebeeto Bandito. Ages 4-up. (Apr.)

Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature

Skippyjon Jones is not your ordinary Siamese cat. He enjoys being with the birds and much to his mother's displeasure, he sleeps with them, eats worms and plays in the birdbath. This just is not the type of behavior she expects from her son. Banished to his room, and warned to stay out of his closet, Skippyjon does not seem to be the least bit fazed. He actually ends up on another adventure, and this time he is a masked bandito consorting with a group of dogs—the Chimichangos. The fearless Skippyjon saves them from an awful monster bumblebee named Alfredo Buzzito. It turns out that the bee is actually a birthday piсata and when he punctures it all the goodies come spilling out all over his room. Mama for once is not really upset and the irrepressible Skippyjon is ready for his next adventure. The illustrations are as humorous as the story and kids will enjoy them. The text is sprinkled with Spanish terms, which may make reading it aloud a challenge for some and a big hit for others. There is no pronunciation guide for those who may not be familiar with Spanish. 2004, Dutton, Ages 3 to 8.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-This is a wildly wonderful book about a hyperactive kitten, Skippyjon Jones, whose head and ears are too big for his body, and whose imagination is too intense for his mama. According to her, he needs to do some serious thinking about what it means to be a Siamese cat instead of a bird (Skippyjon always wakes up and eats worms with his feathered friends). She sends him to his room, where he imagines he is a Chihuahua ("My name is Skippito Friskito./I fear not a single bandito"). Chock-full of rhyming chants and Spanish expressions, the feline's adventure as a doggy Zorro ends in chaos. His frazzled mother gives him a hug anyway and says, "Say good night, Skippyjon Jones." "Buenas noches, mis amigos," says the kitten, as he bounces on his bed all ready for another adventure. The buoyant and colorful cartoon illustrations match the exuberant text perfectly. Spanish-speaking children will be especially delighted by the words and humor; others may be a little bewildered by all of the foreign phrases and will need some explanation, but the story definitely has the potential of a fun read-aloud. A good multicultural offering.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA

Kirkus Reviews

Skippyjon Jones insists he's not a Siamese cat despite ears too big for his head and a head too big for his body. This rambunctious kitty with an overactive imagination prefers to be El Skippito, a Zorro-like sword fighter. Walking through his closet, he meets a mysterioso band of Chichuahuas called Los Chimichangos. The masked Skippyjon joins them, pretending to be a dog and claiming he loves "mice and beans." The Chimichangos are convinced he will bid adios to the bad bandito Bumblebeeto who steals their frijoles. And yippito, he does. Returning home where Mama Junebug Jones and the girls are waiting-his closet explodes with a birthday pi-ata of goodies. This pun-filled spoof is over-the-top comedy littered with Spanish words and "Spanglish" accents (bees-ness). Mama's pet names for Skippyjon-Mr. Kitten Britches, Fluffernutter-add affectionate touches. Colorful, lively illustrations exaggerate the hilarity. No ethnic aspersions intended, just laugh-out-loud humor. Both feline hero and story are full of beans (more Mexican-jumping than pinto) but ay caramba, mucho fun. (Picture book. 5-8)

Explorer Extraordinaire or Fancy Nancy

Explorer Extraordinaire! (Fancy Nancy Series)

Author: Jane OConnor

For the fanciest girl around, the outdoors are out of this world! Fancy Nancy and her best friend, Bree, set out to explore the fascinating world of wildflowers, trees, leaves, birds, and, of course, butterflies in their exclusively glamorous Explorers' Club. With recipes for pinecone bird feeders and extra-fancy lemonade, an official club bird, and an exclusive map of the territory, Fancy Nancy is one Explorer Extraordinaire!

Take a look at Nancy's very own enlightening discoveries and find out just how fancy the outdoors can be!

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3—Nancy returns with all of the sophistication, aplomb, and humor she displayed in her previous books. She and her best friend, Bree, have created an exclusive club (they are the sole members) for their nature studies. The Explorers Extraordinaire have official membership certificates, a dress code, and, most importantly, a clubhouse. Their mission is to search for bugs, birds, and leaves in their backyards and record what they find in their notebooks. Back in their clubhouse, the explorers do additional research to learn more about their discoveries. When younger siblings ask to join the club, they are rejected for lack of maturity. After finding a baby bird that has fallen from his nest, the junior explorers are allowed to join. This slim title is packed with a lot of information about nature, but the vocabulary makes it too challenging for beginning readers. That aside, it is one of Nancy's most captivating adventures. The pages overflow with her personality and style. Text and illustrations pull together to show readers what a smart and complex character she is. A sure winner for eager young explorers.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

Fancy Nancy

Author: Jane OConnor

Meet Nancy, who believes that more is ALWAYS better when it comes to being fancy. From the top of her tiara down to her sparkly studded shoes, Nancy is determined to teach her family a thing or two about being fancy.

How Nancy transforms her parents and little sister for one enchanted evening makes for a story that is funny and warm — with or without the frills.

Publishers Weekly

With exuberance, elan and lots of heart, O'Connor (the Nina, Nina Ballerina books) and Glasser (A Is for Abigail) prove that the bosom of the family has ample room for even the most outr individualist. Channeling the spirits of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn-whose pictures adorn her extravagantly decorated room-Nancy tries to make the world a more flamboyant place, starting with her decidedly down-to-earth family ("They never even ask for sprinkles," she notes as they exit an ice cream parlor). She offers her parents and little sister a free tutorial in all things fancy (yellow is plain, gold is fancy), which they gamely attend, and they even agree to go to a restaurant wearing Nancy-orchestrated frou-frou (Mom's ensemble includes Christmas ornament earrings and a feather boa). But when Nancy commits a faux pas of major proportions (she trips with a tray full of ice cream) she comes to realize that her family's love for her is as bottomless as her collection of hair accessories. O'Connor captures Nancy's dramatic precociousness without making her sound like a snoot ("My favorite color is fuchsia. That's a fancy way of saying purple"); she comes across as a genuinely creative spirit rather than an imperious fashionista. Glasser's pictures brim with comic detail and sparkle like a bauble from Tiffany. Like O'Connor, she empathizes with Nancy's over-the-top sensibility, yet gently grounds the heroine in the steady (if bemused) embrace of her family. Ages 4-7. (Jan.)

Robyn Gioia - Children's Literature

When my little girl was five, she told me I did not dress her pretty enough. She was a "fancy Nancy." Fancy Nancy is the heart and soul of all the little girls out there who love frills, plumes, color, and loads of style. Everyday things must be fancy. Nancy explains it this way, "I like to write my name with a pen that has a plume. That is a fancy way of saying feather. And I can't wait to learn French because everything in French sounds fancy." This fascination leaves Nancy a little frustrated because her family just does not understand. Lace-trimmed socks really do help her play better. And sandwiches really do taste better with frilly toothpicks. Then she decides it is time to teach her family how to be fancy. The story is delightful and sure to tickle the fancy bone of all girls, young and old. The artwork is eye candy for the heart. Nancy is an adorable young lady with curly hair, frilly adornments, and a melting smile. She is someone you will fall in love with. Each page contains a simple sentence illustrated by a whimsical scene. 2006, HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 4 to 8.

School Library Journal

PreS-K-Young Nancy, like her literary predecessors Eloise and Olivia, is a glamour queen dropped into a boring world-"Nobody in my family is fancy at all. They never even ask for sprinkles." She determines to rescue her relatives from their humdrum existence by giving them lessons and accessorizing their mundane wardrobes. A situation that is charming when observed by adults in real life doesn't translate into a successful picture book. Children pretending to be fabulous creatures is appealing when it is innocent and unforced. This book, despite Glasser's wonderfully energetic artwork, is ultimately a story told by adults for adults.-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME

Kirkus Reviews

A tot with a penchant for panache is at the center of this playful tale that celebrates marching to the beat of your own drummer. Nancy, a little girl enraptured by all things ornate, is dismayed by her family's distinctly conventional tendencies. In her quest to convince her loved ones that the sundry trappings of the fabulous life are actually sheer necessities, Nancy embarks upon a campaign of family beautification by offering fancy living instructions. O'Connor deftly conveys Nancy's precocious yet disarming delivery: Nancy is a hoot and her fashion-first message will resonate with many budding divas among the preschool set. Glasser's vivacious, vividly colored illustrations capture the exuberance with which tiny fashonistas embrace the life of the glitterati. Aspiring converts to Nancy's tony lifestyle will find Glasser's humorous depictions of Nancy in all her glory inspirational, whether she's dressed for the evening or making over her family. The poignant message about love needing no embellishment adds a heartwarming touch to this fun-filled tale. (Picture book. 4-6)