Kaleidoscope Kids' Books

Staff Picks
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Here are a selection of books that the we are currently enjoying.

	Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder "About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered a reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace, and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia. And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust, and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison. As Yelena tries to escape her dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and she develops magical powers she can't control. Her life’s at stake again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear"!
	Truckery Rhymes by John Scieszka "For generations, Trucks have been sharing these beloved tales, rowdy rhymes, and honk-along songs. Finally these classics have been gathered into one big, noisy, high-octane collection! All the favorite truckery rhymes are here -- from 'Peter Peter Payload Eater' to 'Little Dan Dumper'...all the way to 'Pop! Blows the Diesel'".
	GONE by Michael Grant "In the blink of an eye. Everyone disappears. GONE. Except for the young. Teens. Middle schoolers. Toddlers. But not one single adult. No teachers, no cops, no doctors, no parents. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened".
	Wolf Cry by Julia Golding "Set in Viking times, Wolf Cry is the epic story of Freydis, left for dead following a raid on her father's stronghold, and her friendship with Enno, the extraordinary African slave over whom she is expected to rule".
	The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins "Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place".
	I'd Tell You I love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter "The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school teaches advanced martial arts in PE, chemistry always consists of the latest in chemical warfare, and everyone breaks CIA codes for extra credit in computer class. So in truth, while the Gallagher Academy might say it's a school for geniuses what they really mean is spies. But what happens when a Gallagher Girl falls for a boy who doesn't have a code name"?
	The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larson "Theodora loved her grandfather's old garden. His new apartment's balcony is too windy and small for a garden. But what appears to be a drawback soon leads to a shared burst of creativity as Theo and her Poppa decide to paint a new garden. As they work side by side -- sowing seeds with brushes and paint -- a masterpiece begins to take shape that transforms the balcony into an abundant garden. When Poppa goes away on holiday, Theo helps nurture the garden and it begins to take on a life of its own. This garden grows not from soil but from love, imagination and creativity. Readers will marvel at each stage of this fertile garden as it grows from seed to full flower, revealing the power of art to enrich our lives".
	Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson "When the Martins turn fifteen, they are each expected to take over the care of a suite in the once elegant, now shabby Art Deco hotel. For Scarlett’s fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite, and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson. Scarlett doesn’t quite know what to make of this C-list starlet, world traveler, and aspiring autobiographer who wants to take over her life. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes a second unexpected turn".

Here are a few links to websites that we recommend.

The National Arts Center
The New York Times - Books
The Forest of Reading. The Ontario Library Association's Literacy Initiative.
Jon Scieszka Worldwide
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