Dream Friends

By You Byun (Nancy Paulsen / Penguin Books for Young Readers)

Melody has the best dream friend ever. When she sleeps, she and her enormous white cat-like friend can fly, dance and play hide-and-seek, they can do anything they imagine together. But during the day, Melody has trouble summoning her dream-friend to keep her company in her new school, where she has yet to make a friend.  Using the power of her imagination, she closes her eyes and practices a dance she learned from her dream friend. When a real voice chimes in “Is that a new game?,” she opens her eyes to see another little girl who’d like to learn the dance.  Supporting the idea that dreams are the inspiration for action, “Dream Friends” is a brilliantly illustrated window into the beautiful resource that is a child’s imagination.

Tiger in My Soup

By Kashmira Sheth, Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbler (Peachtree)

When a young boy is left in the care of his teen sister, all he wants her to do is read his book about tigers with him. But she’s got her ear-buds in, groovin’ in her own world, and doesn’t want to take the time to read with him. After all she’s only supposed to make his lunch.  But when she puts his bowl of alphabet soup in front of him, he suddenly spies a tiger in his soup!  The tiger steams and swirls out of his bowl and his ordinary lunch quickly becomes a fight for his life (and lunch).  His battle with the tiger draws his sister help as spoons drop and soup gets cold.  Will this play for attention get him the book time he’s seeking with his sister? For the kids whose imagination roars for recognition, “Tiger in My Soup” is the recipe for required reading.

The Amazing Hamweenie

By Patty Bowman (Philomel / Penguin)

Hamweenie is a cat…who is also a star, waiting to be born.  In his mind, he’s a famous magician-acrobat-entertainer who is destined for fame and the adulation of children world-wide. 

He imagines himself in the spotlight center-stage, under the big top and with his name writ large across the sky as “The Amazing Hamweenie”. But his dreams are hampered at every turn by his caregiver, a little girl who loves him with baths and costumes (balanced with treats and hugs).  Convinced he is being alternately drowned and poisoned, Hamweenie bides his time looking for every opportunity to escape and find his destiny. But readers will find that his imagination is his best vehicle for escape – because his real captivity is the best life ever. This is a delightful title both for its droll humor and highly detailed artwork!

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Fans of both teen fantasy and Victorian-flavored gothic romance will find a new treat in Magic Under Glass. The story is set in what feels almost like an alternative history reminiscent of the height of the British Empire - with its manners, entertainments and setting. But the presence of fairies and sorcery quickly lend a fantastic bent to the tale of Namira, a young performer plucked from a tawdry music hall by a wealthy widow. She is recruited to sing with his rare piano-playing automaton (a mechanical man) which seems to have frightened away previous singers. Namira finds herself living in luxury as she must suddenly navigate higher society and dangerous intrigue - when the automaton begins to communicate with her. A fresh story among rivals in the teen romance category, this title seems to indicate a sequel but not confirmation as yet (Bloomsbury)

The Knife of Never Letting Go - by Patrick Ness

Outstanding Epic Perfect for Teen Boys and Adult Sci-Fi Readers
Wow! I LOVE this story! The main character, Todd has grown up in a settlement where all the women have mysteriously died off and the men are plagued with the ability to hear each other's thoughts - or "noise". When Todd discovers a "hole" in the noise, the following events quickly propel him on a journey of discovery while at the same time plunging him into a world of horror. As he pieces together his own history with that of larger world, the sense of looming apocalypse swells. The frontier-like setting takes on surreal quality as the reader discovers more and more about where the book's characters are and how they got there. I'm reminded at times of "Lost" and Cormac McCarthy's The Road when reading this. The characters are flawed and evolving (a good thing) with the fast-paced, highly original story. Especially recommended for teen boys, though girls will like it, too, this title is the first in Ness' "Chaos Walking" series. Addictive, thought-provoking and rich with western-esque sci-fi drama, The Knife of Never Letting Go will leave readers scrambling to find the second book, The Ask and The Answer, in which things become even more chaotic...and compelling. Storytelling at its best - Highly recommended for Teen and Adult readers.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - Ghost Whispering in a Darker Setting for Teens

No vampires here (yet) but ghosts aplenty, as Kelley Armstrong presents the first in the 'Dark Powers' series, The Summoning. The tale opens with Chloe Sanders, who's struggling to hang onto her sanity as she attracts the spirits of the dead who long to be heard or noticed. Events send her to a group home where she discovers herself among other 'talented' teens who may or may not be safe company for her. Flavors of "Ghost Whisperer" are here, but the setting is darker and the encounters more sinister. Closing with a open-ended finale, YA and teen readers will be compelled to follow the story into the second book in the series, The Awakening. Recommended! (Harper Collins)

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Witch Child by Celia Rees

Having spent so many of my college years reading historical fiction (not the "romance" historicals - smile!), i was slow to pick up Celia Rees' teen fiction take of American colonial persecution of women perceived as witches. I am SO VERY glad that I overcame that reticence because Witch Child is an amazing foray into this time period with all the paranormal flavors that young adult readers are hungry for lately. In a nutshell, the book is essentially a collection journal entries and diaries of fourteen-year-old Mary who is spirited away from England in the wake of her grandmother's execution for witchcraft. The writings are being presented by an 'Alison Ellman' circa modern day. The story of Mary's efforts to leave her history behind as she strives to fit into a 17th century frontier community are met with both success and suspicion. Her inherent gifts rise to meet the wildness of the country and its native people, while superstitious and cult-like community elders work to paint her as a witch. The story and the writing are refreshingly original and addictive. And just when you think the tale is winding down, the last entries in the book set-up a wildly innovative twist that propels the story toward the second book in the series. Highly recommended! (Teen - Adult, Candlewick Press)

The Good Neighbors (Book One: Kin) by Holly Black and Ted Naifeh ....A Graphic Novel with Otherworldly Glamour (Graphix / Scholastic)

Co-author of the highly acclaimed "Spiderwick Chronicles", Holly Black, turns her powerful imaginative power down the urban fantasy path with the graphic novel, "The Good Neighbor: Kin". This title's darkly rendered setting leads the reader just beneath the skin of a college town to glimpse a sub-dura where fairies and their ilk move just beyond the perception of most humans - until they are noticed by Rue. Rue's mother has just disappeared and her father is soon implicated in her mother's absence as well as a student's murder. As she struggles with these developments, Rue begins to 'see' creatures both fair and frightening mixed among people everywhere she goes. Alone in her perception of the fairie folk, Rue follows her suspicion that her growing encounters with strange beings is connected to her missing mother and the death of her father's student, When Rue's maternal grandfather appears and confirms that Rue, like her mother, is fey, she is faced with choices that offer heartbreak at every turn. Filled with edgy imagery that blends sinister beauty with sharpening fear, the illustrations build an intense sense of revelation as the tale progresses. As a fan of graphic novels, I'm eager to pick up the next in this series! This one is definitely worth return reading and reviewed illustration - there's more than meets the eye. "The Good Neighbors: Kin" is a highly worthwhile title that will thrill both fans and newcomers to the graphic novel medium.

"The Ranger's Apprentice Series" by John Flanagan ...Core Characters Deliver Strong YA Fantasy (Penguin Books for Young Readers / Puffin)

In publishing niche that is amply populated by fantasy-flavored fiction for kids and teens, keeping the different worlds, their creatures, their magic and their rules in order can be discouraging for new, as well as experienced, readers of the genre. How refreshing it was to try on John Flanagan's debut novels in "The Ranger's Apprentice" series. Without borrowing heavily from previous kids' fantasy outings, Flanagan crafts an engaging and captivating setting with a strong cast of characters, and a story that doesn't lean too hard on wizardry and impossibility. The first three books in the series, "The Ruins of Gorlan", "The Burning Bridge" and "The Icebound Land" follow the story of Will, who with his fellow orphans and wards of the local baron, are looking forward to being apprenticed at age fifteen. Though he craves to enter apprenticeship with the Battleschool, his small physical size prevents his selection for that trade. Will is offered instead the opportunity to train as a Ranger, learning the skills and responsibilites of that elite and elusive branch in service to the kingdom of Araluen. Under the tutelage of Galt, an experienced and taciturn member of the Rangers, Will's journey of self discovery and personal growth is cast against a quickly evolving backdrop of looming war, political intrigue and heart-stopping action amid a historic European-esque setting. "The Ranger's Apprentice" series thrives because the central characters are not overshadowed by gimmicks and are allowed to remain the strong core of the story, and rightly so, as they are well-crafted and evolving as well. Highly recommended for kids as well as adult fantasy fans who will not find the books childlike, but perhaps may be reminded with pleasure of their first journey to Shannara or Middle Earth.

Paige's "Page" wins 2009 PPA Gold Award

While I've won writing and editing awards in the past, I'm certainly aware that the "value" of an award, the merit of it, can vary greatly. When my first-rights editor submitted "A Page in a Book" to the Parenting Publications of America (PPA) awards competition for the first time in 2006, I wasn't even aware of its entry until I got a call from the annual conference in Philadelphia. I remember my editor's husband phoning me late at night and saying "I have somthing to tell you...Are you sitting down?". My knees turned to water as I imagined him telling me that my friend had been suddenly stricken with some terrible illness, or worse...was my 'late' friend. Why else should I be sitting down? I sat.

When he revealed I had won the PPA Gold Award for Reviews, I didn't quite know what to say. I had no idea what the PPA was, what a Gold Award entailed or how my column had ended up 'in the running'. He seemed to think the Gold Award was really a big deal, though. What I said was "Wow! That's great!" What I wanted to say was "Thank God! I thought Carol was dead!"

I learned later that the Parenting Publications of America is a professional organization for the nation's best parenting and family magazines. And I also learned that the awards competition between these magazines at the PPA annual conference is a serious. The categories are judged by respected authorities within the field and the criteria is pretty exacting. Since discovering that the PPA award isn't some generic pat-on-the-back, I distinctly appreciate the honor.

I've just learned that "A Page in a Book"(as published in Birmingham Parent magazine) received its third Gold Award for Reviews at the 2009 PPA convention in New Orleans. I'm very excited about the news and so pleased that APB has been recognized and honored again. This development has definitely inspired me to be more diligent about presenting more reviews through my blog this year. If I'm going to meet my mission of helping young readers, teens and their families find the best titles to try on, I must work harder to present the latest great reads (and audio) into this venue.

Consider me renewed and recommitted - and grateful for the opportunity...

Plan for New Blog - Book Recommendations

I'm so excited about the new blog and look forward to getting fresh book recommendations out, much more quickly. While my syndicated column will remain unique, - I've been a little limited in that "A Page in a Book" features 'themed' book reviews, i.e. the titles in each column are connected somehow (Adoption, Wordless, Onomatopoeia, Back-to-School, etc.)

This "A Page in a Book" blog gives me the ability to highlight ALL the outstanding titles that didn't fit into APB's "themed" reviews...and that's a lot. APB, as published in magazines, is limited to three titles, twelve times a year. Publishers of children's and YA lit are producing significantly MORE, really outstanding and worthwhile titles than just the twenty-four I get to push to the front in print annually. These great books deserve discovery, attention and appreciation - hence, THE APB BLOG! Hurrah!

So here we go! I hope that you'll bookmark this APB Blog and join me on this exploration of the genre of books that finds us as kids and puts us on the path to becoming lifelong readers!

Ex Libris,

Paige