ShareThisCheck out these three new novels for young readers:
Mississippi "Mibs" Beaumont is looking forward to turning 13. Yes, she'll finally be a teenager, but, more importantly, she'll finally discover her "savvy," or special power.
But Mibs' upcoming birthday is forgotten when her father is critically injured in a car accident. Her mother rushes off with Mibs' oldest brother Rocket to the Salina, Kans., hospital miles away from their home, leaving the rest of the family in Grandpa's care.
Mibs, however, feels sure that her just-about-to-arrive savvy will be something that can cure her beloved Poppa. So Mibs, along with a couple of her siblings and several others, stow away on a bus they mistakenly believe is headed to Salina but is instead traveling in the opposite direction. As a result, the journey to Poppa's bedside takes longer than Mibs expected, but along the way she learns that, while her savvy isn't at all what she wanted, it may be just what she needs.
In "Savvy" (Dial, $16.99), debut author Ingrid Law tells a rip-roaring fantasy tale focused on a family with some unusual gifts: Grandpa Beaumont's "savvy" is moving land masses; Rocket creates electricity; and Fish, Mib's slightly older brother, causes hurricanes and other weather disasters unless he's careful.
But readers will be fixated on Mibs as she finally discovers her savvy. Preteens will readily identify with Mibs' efforts to figure out how to deal with her new power as well as the normal turmoil that comes with adolescence. Law's story gets unnecessarily complicated at times, and the plot ties up a bit too nicely. But those are quibbles about this page-turner of a book. (Ages 10-14.)
Two years ago, Newbery Medalist Karen Hesse went to a conference in Atlanta and met Bill Slavin, author of "Transformed, How Everyday Things Are Made." Fascinated by Slavin's book, Hesse began reading through it; when she came to page 36, she read a brief mention about the first teddy bear and its creator, a man named Morris Michtom. Something stirred in Hesse and she immediately began researching the Michtom family, then used the research as the basis for her newest novel, "Brooklyn Bridge" (Feiwell and Friends, $17.95).
Set in the summer of 1903, Hesse's novel tells the story of 14-year-old Joseph Michtom, Morris' son, who isn't so sure that the teddy bear business is such a great thing for his close-knit Russian-Jewish family. Since the Michtoms made their first teddy bear, inspired by a political cartoon showing President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear, the family has been inundated by orders. That's definitely good for the family finances. But all of the Michtoms, except for 3-year-old Benjamin, must pitch in to keep up with the growing business, and so there's little time for family activities or stickball with friends, and no time to fulfill Joseph's dearest wish -- visiting the brand-new Coney Island.
Hesse contrasts Joseph's rags-to-riches story with brief tales of far less fortunate Brooklyn children -- orphaned, abused, abandoned -- who live in their own settlement under the bridge. There's Otto, who once lived with a hermit; Willie, whose father locked him in a room with a rag stuffed in his mouth to keep him quiet; and May, whose lips were burned by carbolic acid. These children scavenge food and help one another survive in a world that offers little promise of a better future.
Together, Joseph's story and the vignettes of the "bridge children" create an emotionally charged look at New York at the turn of the 20th century. As the story progresses, Hesse gradually draws the narratives together, working up to a denouement that is compelling, even as it stretches credulity.
Hesse, who won a Newbery Medal for "Out of the Dust," has a masterful touch at historic fiction, and "Brooklyn Bridge" is just the latest example of her talent to take history and create a story that resonates with modern readers. (Ages 10-14)
Stingray, Lumphy the buffalo and Plastic are back with more adventures in "Toy Dance Party" (Schwartz & Wade/Random House, $16.99). First introduced in "Toys Go Out," the trio of friends, who actually are two stuffed toys and a ball, belong to the "Girl."
In this book, the Girl is growing older and spending less time with her toys. Instead, she's going to sleepovers while the toys continue to have adventures, like nearly perishing in a snowstorm and rescuing a mouse from the vacuum cleaner.
As in the first book, author Emily Jenkins makes these three inanimate objects totally believable, giving them feelings of jealousy, fear and joy that are instantly recognizable to any young reader. The illustrations by Paul O. Zelinsky add further to the cozy charm of the book. (Ages 6-10)
Looking for more ideas for book gifts for children? Check out Karen MacPherson's blog for more titles. It's http://takomapark.info/library/books/.
(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)
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