Book Recommendations Newsletter - May 2010
We have some terrific book recommendations to share with you for May.
May Book Recommendations
Children's Book Recommendations
Shark vs. Train
by Chris Barton – Who would win if a toy shark and toy train faced off in a battle royale for playroom supremacy? Find out in this hilarious picture book that includes a trick-or-treating challenge, a marshmallow roasting contest and progressively wacky scenarios. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 2-5 collection.
No Easy Way: The Story of Ted Williams and the Last .400 Season
by Fred Bowen – Bowen brings to life the inspirational story of baseball great Ted Williams who didn't take the easy way out but succeeded in hitting .406 for the season in 1941 - a feat not matched since. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 5-8 collection.
Wiff and Dirty George: The Z.E.B.R.A. Incident
by Stephen Swinburne – Great for reluctant readers, this zany adventure set in 1960's London has the perfect mix of suspense, humor and mystery as two friends stumble upon a mad scientist's plot for world domination. Part of our Page Turners Age 8-10 collection.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
by Tom Angleberger – Tommy's misfit friend Dwight animates an origami Yoda finger puppet that is uncannily wise and can predict pop quizzes in this funny and spot-on novel about the dynamics of a sixth grade class. Part of our Page Turners Age 10-12 collection.
Revolver
by Marcus Sedgwick – With short, suspenseful chapters, this intense survival story set during the Alaska gold rush, explores the role of guns as 14-year-old Sig, with a pacifist mother and gun-toting father, must shape his own view and act accordingly. Part of our Favorites for Boys Age 12-14 collection.
Teen Book Recommendations
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba
by Margarita Engle – From Newbery Honor winner Engle, this stunning historical novel-in-verse, set in 1851 Cuba, is written from actual diaries and tells the story of three women - Fredrika, a 19th-century Swedish suffragette; Cecilia, her teenage African slave translator; and Elena, a privileged12-year-old Cuban girl. Part of our Historical Fiction for Teens collection.
The Cardturner: A Novel about Imperfect Partners and Infinite Possibilities
by Louis Sachar, Newbery winner and bestselling author of Holes. – When Alton's parents insist he spend his summer driving his blind, great-uncle Lester to his bridge club, Alton is shocked when he becomes enamored with the game and begins to bond with his crusty uncle. Part of our Fiction for Teen Boys collection.
White Cat ( Curse Workers #01 )
by Holly Black – This gripping fantasy of mobsters and dark magic launches a new series as Cassel, a straight kid from a crooked family, untangles a complex plot where dreams may be more real than memories. Part of our Fantasy & Magic for Teens collection.
Adult Book Recommendations
A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals, and Dangerous Days at Sea
by Richard Phillips – This compelling and fast-paced narrative of Captain Phillips' captivity and daring escape from Somali pirates, who hijacked his ship in April 2009, is a true story of adventure and courage where, for once, the good guys win. Part of our Favorites for Men collection.
The Imperfectionists
by Tom Rachman – This celebration of the role of newspapers charts the chaos of a newsroom based in Rome with chapters that read like exquisite short stories about the intersecting lives of the characters who produce the paper. Part of our Great New Hardcover Fiction collection.
Anthill
by E.O. Wilson – Part novel, part creative non-fiction, this masterful work from a two time Pulitzer Prize winner follows the adventures of Raff, a modern-day Huck Finn, whose improbable love of ants transforms his own life and the lives around him. Part of our Fiction for Men collection.
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
by Deborah Blum – With equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller this enthralling nonfiction account of two forensic pioneers unfolds with each new puzzling case highlighting a different poison and outlining the ingenious methods they devised to detect them. Part of our Nonfiction for Men collection.
Family Book Recommendations
The Incredible Voyage of Ulysses
Bimba Landmann – Blending a graphic-novel format with bold illustrations, this beautiful retelling of Homer's epic tale makes a wonderful read aloud the whole family can enjoy. Part of our Read Aloud Ages 8-12 collection.
What's New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion
by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson – We loved their first book, now this endlessly imaginative duo is back with ideas for race-car cupcakes, faux-food cupcakes, and ravishing jewelry cupcakes to name a few of their fun and fabulous creations - that require no baking skills or fancy equipment! Part of our Family Activities Ages 8-14 collection.
We hope you share our love of literature and passion to inspire people of all ages to read and will consider GiftLit for your next gift purchase.
