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by Jillian Melnyk
Celebrating Books
When you crack open a book it's always a celebration! This month's selection of books can be found at the upcoming Rochester Children's Book Festival on Saturday, November 10th – among the picks are a handful of award-winners and milestone books from area authors... three cheers!
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson
By Peggy Thomas & Illustrated by Laura Jacques | Boyds Mill Press, 2011, $16.95, hardcover | Ages 8-12
Famous for his immensely popular Peterson Guides which are appreciated among birdwatchers everywhere, Thomas brings this first children's biography about Peterson to life. Both Thomas and Jacques worked closely with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York to create this wonderful portrait of the nature-lover and activist. A winner of the John Burroughs Nature Books for Young Readers Award.
Heir Apparent
By Vivian Vande Velde | Harcourt, 2004, $6.99, paperback | Ages 11-14
What if a game was more than just a game? Trapped in a total immersion video game, fourteen-year-old Giannine must play to survive. Heir Apparent, was chosen as the 2012 Rochester Teen Read. The third book in the series, Deadly Pink, was nominated for a 2012 Cybil Award in the Fantasy/Science Fiction Elementary/Middle Grade category.
Happy Endings: A Story About Suffixes
Written by Robin Pulver & Illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed |
Holiday House, 2012, $7.95, paperback | Ages 6-8
Well-known for her grammatically-themed picturebooks, Pulver is back, this time with a lesson in suffixes. Like others in her collection, Happy Endings is clever, humorous, and, of course, educational.
Breathing Room
By Marsha Hayles | Henry Holt & Company, 2012, $17.99, hardcover | Ages 10-14
Though known for her picturebooks, Hayles' older readers will devour her powerful middle-grade debut – historical fiction set in a tuberculosis sanitorium during the 1940s.
Always October
By Bruce Coville| HarperCollins Publishers, 2012, $16.99, hardcover | Ages 8-12
Coville – a master of monsters, goblins and ghouls – does not disappoint with this newest nail-biter. This truly monstrous adventure is one that will delight Coville's newest and most loyal fans. This book marks his 100th work!
Jillian Melnyk is the Editor for Rochester Area & Genesee Valley Parent Magazine. She has an MFA in Writing for Children from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She welcomes questions about books and can offer endless recommendations at Editor@GVParent.com
