Kliatt articles from January 2005

Kliatt archives from January 2005

First novels: a love story.
January 1, 2005... When Chip Gibson was named the new president of the Random House Children's Books Group, he asked me to choose a few books I had edited that would give him the best idea of what I do. I was struck by how many of the books I gave him were first...

Writing Red Palms.
January 1, 2005... Red Palms started as my MFA thesis for the Creative Writing program at Columbia University, but at the time I didn't think I was writing for young adults. I was influenced by Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible and Lisa Shea's work about...

Allen, M.E. Gotta get some bish bash bosh.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ALLEN, M.E. Gotta get some bish bash bosh. HarperCollins, 208p. c2005. 0-06-073198-2. $15.99, (Library bdg: 0-06-073201-6. $16.89.) J This is a male version of the Georgia Nicolson series of books by Louise Rennison--a fast and funny read...

Banerjee, Anjali. Maya running.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... BANERJEE, Anjali. Maya running. Random House, Wendy Lamb. 209p. c2005. 0-385-74656-3. $15.95. J This is the first novel by Banerjee, and it is a delightful one. She creates the character of Maya Mukherjee, and places her in Manitoba in...

Baptiste, Tracey. Angel's Grace.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... BAPTISTE, Tracey. Angel's Grace. Simon & Schuster. 169p. illus. c2005. 0-689-86773-5. $15.95. J A lovely photograph revealing Grace's important red hair and handprint birthmark will whet the reader's interest. Who is Grace? That's her...

Bradley, Alex. 24 girls in 7 days.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... BRADLEY, Alex. 24 girls in 7 days. Penguin, Dutton. 272p. c2005. 0-525-47369-6. $15.99. S Jack hasn't got a date for the senior prom, and without his knowledge his two best friends post a personal ad soliciting one for him in the online...

Brashares, Ann. Girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... BRASHARES, Ann. Girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood. Random House, Delacorte. 338p. c2005. 0-38572935-9. $16.95. JS * Fans of this delightful series of books will eagerly grab this third part. (It has been announced that a...

Carman, Patrick. The dark hills divide.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CARMAN, Patrick. The dark hills divide. (The Land of Elyon, Book 1.) Scholastic, Orchard. 251p. map. c2005. 0-439-70093-0. $11.95. J First released as a self-published book, written by a father for his daughters, this fantasy, the first in...

Cirrone, Dorian. Dancing in red shoes will kill you.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CIRRONE, Dorian. Dancing in red shoes will kill you. HarperCollins. 215p. c2005. 0-06-055701-X. $15.99. S We have all heard about the pressure on ballerinas to conform to the ideal body image--tall, thin, long legs, no breasts, long neck....

Fleischman, Sid. The giant rat of Sumatra or pirates galore.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... FLEISCHMAN, Sid. The giant rat of Sumatra or pirates galore. Illus. by John Hendrix. HarperCollins, Greenwillow. 208p. illus. map. c2005. 0-06-074238-0. $15.99. (Library bdg: 0-06-074239-9. $16.89.) J The Giant Rat of Sumatra is a pirate...

Fogelin, Adrian. The big nothing.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... FOGELIN, Adrian. The big nothing. Peachtree. 235p. c2004. 1-56145-326-9. $14.95. J Justin, age 13, is going through a rough patch. His beloved brother Duane has enlisted in the army and is being shipped out to Iraq; his father has left,...

Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. Stained.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... JACOBSON, Jennifer Richard. Stained. Simon & Schuster. 200p. c2005. 0-689-86745-X. $16.95. S Remember when The Chocolate War caused an outcry because Cormier wrote about flawed Catholic priests? Well, that was then, this is now. Now we...

McKernan, Victoria. Shackleton's stowaway.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... McKERNAN, Victoria. Shackleton's stow-away. Random House, Knopf. 336p. map. bibliog. c2005. 0-375-82691-2. $15.95. (Library bdg.: 0-375-92691-7. $17.99.) JS Perce Blackborow, age 18, stows away on Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance as it...

Metz, Melinda. Raven's Point.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... METZ, Melinda. Raven's Point. HarperCollins. 244p. c2004. 0-06-052372-7. $16.89. JS Something evil lurks under the surface on the lovely island of Raven's Point, and unless it is put to rest, it will destroy everything and everyone in its...

Moses, Shelia P. I, Dred Scott; a fictional slave narrative based on the life and legal precedent of Dred Scott.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MOSES, Shelia P. I, Dred Scott; a fictional slave narrative based on the life and legal precedent of Dred Scott. Simon & Schuster. 97p. illus. c2005. 0-689-85975-9. $16.95. JS This brief novel goes into the category of "worthy." The Dred...

Paratore, Colleen Murtagh. The wedding planner's daughter.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... Paratore, Colleen Murtagh. The wedding planner's daughter. Simon and Schuster. 208p. c2005. 0-689-87340-9. $15.95. J Willafred is the daughter of a wedding planner, Stella Havisham. She has moved around the East Coast with her mother, who...

Sabin, Rose E. When the beast ravens.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SABIN, Rose E. When the beast ravens. Tor. 288p. c2005. 0-765-30858-4. $23.95. JS Rabin concludes her "magically gifted" trilogy with a murder mystery at the Lesley Simonton School for the Magically Gifted. The events of the first two novels (A...

Scott, Kieran. I was a non-blonde cheerleader.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SCOTT, Kieran. I was a non-blonde cheerleader. Penguin, Putnam. 246p. c2005. 0-399-24279-1. $15.99. JS Lighthearted fun, basically: this is a story of a teenager moving to Florida from New Jersey. First she notices that most of the girls...

Stein, Tammar. Light Years.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... STEIN, Tammar. Light Years. Random House, Knopf. 240p. c2005. 0-375-93023-X. $17.99. JS Maya Laor is a young woman living in modern-day Israel. She loves her country, her family, and her boyfriend Dov. Like all Israeli youth, she serves in...

Vande Velde, Vivian. Now you see it....(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... VANDE VELDE, Vivian. Now you see it.... Harcourt. 275p. c2005.0-15-205311-5. $17.00. JS Vande Velde is known for the fun and fantasy of her work, and her new novel follows in that vein. Wendy wants contact lenses. As a high school student...

Waite, Judy. Trick of the mind.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WAITE, Judy. Trick of the mind. Simon & Schuster, Atheneum, 272p. c2005. 0-68987014-0. $16.95. JS The two protagonists of Judy Waite's second book tell their stories in alternating passages and alternating fonts. Both are outsiders in the...

Zusak, Markus. I am the messenger.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ZUSAK, Markus. I am the messenger. Random House, Knopf. 368p. c2002, 2005.0-37583099-5. $16.95. (Library bdg.: 0-375-93099-X. $18.99.) SA* Ed Kennedy, a hapless 19-year-old Australian cab driver, has a life that's going nowhere until he...

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple hibiscus.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ADICHIE, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple hibiscus. Random House, Anchor. 307p. c2003. 1-4000-7694-3. $13.00. JSA* Adichie has written a book that captures the universality of growing up and the specific setting of modern Nigeria. Fifteen-year-old...

Brashares, Ann. The second summer of the sisterhood.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... BRASHARES, Ann. The second summer of the sisterhood. (A companion to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.) Random House, Delacorte. c2003.373p. 0-385-73105-1. $8.95. JS* To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2003:...

Cussler, Clive & Craig Dirgo. Sacred stone; a novel of the Oregon Files.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CUSSLER, Clive & Craig Dirgo. Sacred stone; a novel of the Oregon Files. Penguin, Berkley. 406p. c2004. 0-425-198480. $15.00. SA The "Corporation" is a private security and covert operations group, made up of ex-military and CIA operatives....

Diersch, Sandra. Ceiling stars.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... DIERSCH, Sandra. Ceiling stars. Lorimer, Orca. 141p. c2004. 1-55028-834-2. $4.99. JS This eye-opening book takes a look at mental illness and the toll it takes on teens. Chris is a high school senior looking forward to graduation, an...

Ducornet, Rikki. Gazelle.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... DUCORNET, Rikki. Gazelle. Random House, Anchor. 189p. c2003. 0-385-72043-2. $13.00. SA A young girl is living in Cairo in the 1950s when her American mother leaves her Egyptian father to have affairs with one lover after another. Elizabeth...

Frank, E.R. Friction.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... FRANK, E.R. Friction. Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 197p. c2003.0-689-85385-8. $6.99. J To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May, 2003: Alex loves Simon, her eighth-grade teacher at her alternative school, just as she loves soccer...

Galgut, Damon. The good doctor, a novel.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... GALGUT, Damon. The good doctor, a novel. Grove. 215p. c2003. 0-8021-4169-2. $12.00. A South Africa, after apartheid, is a little known place to most Americans and the differences between the big cities and the rural areas are still...

Golden, Christopher & Hautala, Rick. Last breath.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... GOLDEN, Christopher & HAUTALA, Rick. Last breath. (Body of Evidence.) Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 304p. c2004. 0-689-86526-0. $5.99. JSA Something fishy's going on. The mystery begins with a dead body floating in the shark tank at the New...

Goodman, Hannah R. My sister's wedding.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... GOODMAN, Hannah R. My sister's wedding. IUniverse. 108p. c2004. 0-595-31265-9. $10.95. S Goodman is an experienced high school teacher with a degree in school counseling; this is her first YA novel. Her characters, especially the narrator...

Halvorson, Marilyn. Let it go.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... HALVORSON, Marilyn. Let it go. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 225p. c2004. 1-55005-105-9. $8.95. J Red and Lance have been best friends ever since Red moved to Alderton, Canada. Each of them harbors a painful secret that they can't even share with...

Harrar, George. Not as crazy as I seem.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... HARRAR, George. Not as crazy as I seem. Houghton Mifflin, Graphia. 231p. c2003. 0618-49480-4. $6.99. J 15-year-old Devon Brown is the poster boy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. Among other things, Devon must eat food in multiples...

Hopkins, Cathy. Mates, dates, and sequin smiles.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... HOPKINS, Cathy. Mates, dates, and sequin smiles. Simon & Schuster. 203p. c2004. 0-689-86723-9. $5.99. S After discussing looks, money and facials with her mates, less-than-subtle Nesta struggles with the question, "Am I superficial?" She...

Johnson, Angela. The first part last.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... JOHNSON, Angela. The first part last. Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 132p. c2003. 0-68984923-0. $5.99. JS* To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2003: On the cover of this book is an appealing photograph of a young black man...

Lurie, April. Dancing in the streets of Brooklyn.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... LURIE, April. Dancing in the streets of Brooklyn. Random House, Dell Yearling. 194p. c2002.0-440-41825-9. $5.99. J The setting is New York during WW II, and while the battle in Europe rages, 13-year-old Judy Strand is fighting her own...

Maxwell, Katie. What's French for "Ew"?(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MAXWELL, Katie. What's French for "Ew"? (Emily series.) Smooch/Dorchester. 208p. c2004. 0-8439-5297-0. $5.99. S American transplant Emily Williams leaves the underwear ghost, her wacky family and the town of Piddlington-on-the-Weld, England...

McLaren, Clemence. Inside the walls of Troy; a novel of the women who lived the Trojan War.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... McLAREN, Clemence. Inside the walls of Troy; a novel of the women who lived the Trojan War. Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 208p. 0-689-87397-2. JSA* This absorbing tale of lust, romance, greed, and betrayal stars Helen of Troy, the woman whose...

McNeal, Laura & Tom. Zipped.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... McNEAL, Laura & Tom. Zipped. Random House, Knopf. 283p. c2003. 0-375-83098-7 $8.95. JS* To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, January 2003: The McNeal husband-and-wife writing team won a lot of praise for their first YA novel,...

Mikaelsen, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MIKAELSEN, Ben. Touching Spirit Bear. HarperTrophy. 287p. c2001. 0-06-073400-0. $5.99. JS* To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, January 2001 : At age 15, Cole has already been in and out of police stations, detention centers,...

Minter, J. Pass it on; an Insiders novel.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MINTER, J. Pass it on; an Insiders novel. Bloomsbury. 346p. c2004. 1-58234-954-1. $8.95. S Poor little rich boy Jonathan finds himself the repository of too many secrets after a bomb is dropped about his father's past financial...

Moore, Ann. 'Til morning light.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MOORE, Ann. 'Til morning light. (The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy, Book 3.) Penguin, New American Library. 394p. c2005. 0-45121404-8. $13.95. SA This historical novel completes the trilogy about a feisty and beautiful Irish immigrant, and...

Moore, Susanna. One last look, a novel.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MOORE, Susanna. One last look, a novel. Random House, Vintage. 288p. c2003.1-40007541-6. $13.96. SA When Henry Oliphant is appointed Governor-General for India in 1836, his sister Eleanor travels with him as his official hostess, as does...

Odom, Mel. Hunter's league, volume one.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ODOM, Mel. Hunter's league, volume one. Simon & Schuster. 252p. c2005. 0-68986608-9. $5.99. JS This begins a series of adventures set in 19th-century London, with a group of friends battling sinister men determined to undermine the British...

Parker, Daniel & Miller, Lee. Watching Alice.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... PARKER, Daniel & MILLER, Lee. Watching Alice. (Break the Surface, book 1.) Penguin, Razorbill. 202p. c2004. 1-59514-001-8. $7.99. JS Alice Brown is missing and the police have been unable to find her. Tom Sinclair hopes that if he...

Polak, Monique. No more pranks.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... POLAK, Monique. No more pranks. Orca Soundings. 100p. c2004. 1-55143-315-X. $7.95. JS Another offering in a series for reluctant YA readers from Orca, this one features humor and action--and whales! Pete, the narrator, small for his age,...

Sandoval, Lynda. Who's your daddy?(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SANDOVAL, Lynda. Who's your daddy? Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 318p. c2004. 0-68986440-X. $6.99. JS "Sometimes, through no fault of your own, but based on who happened to bring you into the world, you become a social mutant with no...

Singleton, George. Why dogs chase cars.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SINGLETON, George. Why dogs chase cars. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 300p. c2004. 1-56512-404-9. $14.95. SA Growing up in Forty-Five, South Carolina in the '70s, Mendal and many other young town people think they can find a better life...

Trueman, Terry. Inside out.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... TRUEMAN, Terry. Inside out. HarperCollins. 117p. 0-06-447376-7. $6.99. S To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2003: Zach, age 16, is sitting in a coffee shop waiting for his mother to pick him up when two armed teenagers...

Tullson, Diane. Blue highway.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... TULLSON, Diane. Blue highway. Fitzhenry & Whiteside. 192p. c2004. 1-55005-124-5. $9.95. JS Blue Highway explores the ways in which three teen girls--Skye, a star basketball player; Truth, a straight-A student; and Vale, a somewhat ditzy...

Vida, Vendela. And now you can go.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... VIDA, Vendela. And now you can go. Random House, Anchor. 190p. c2003. 1-40003241-5. $12.95. SA The story begins with a young woman accosted in Riverside Park by a man with a gun. She is able to distract him by reciting poetry and manages...

Waite, Judy. Shopaholic.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WAITE, Judy. Shopaholic, Simon & Schuster, Pulse. 211p. c2001.0-689-85139-1. $6.99. JS Taylor's life is falling apart. Her best friends are distancing themselves from her and she has no one to turn to. Still grieving the loss of Taylor's...

Walters, Eric. Grind.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WALTERS, Eric. Grind. Orca Soundings. 100p. c2004. 1-55143-317-6. $795. JS Orca Soundings books are published for the reluctant YA reader. This one, about a group of teens obsessed with skateboarding, packs a lot of plot into 100 pages....

Weber, Lori. Klepto.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WEBER, Lori. Klepto. Lorimer, dist. by Orca. 160p. c2004. 1-55028-836-9. $4.99. JS Kat is a shoplifting expert. She knows the best places to hit and how to behave so that no one suspects her. Kat's parents are entirely clueless about her...

Wolff, Tobias. Old school, a novel.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WOLFF, Tobias. Old school, a novel. Random House, Vintage. 195p. c2003. 0-37570149-4. $12.00. SA Old School has the feel of a novel written 30 years ago, another crack at the turmoil of adolescent development in a school setting, like A...

Yep, Laurence. The traitor.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... YEP, Laurence. The traitor. (Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1885.) HarperTrophy. 310p. c2003.0-06-000831-8. $6.99. J To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 2003: Yep has continued here with the story of many generations of...

Zephaniah, Benjamin, Face.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ZEPHANIAH, Benjamin, Face. Bloomsbury. 207p. c1999.1-58234-921-5. $6.95. JS Confident and good-looking, 15-year-old Martin Turner seems to have it all. He is the self-appointed leader of the "Gang of Three," class clown, and boyfriend of a...

Antieau, Kim. Coyote cowgirl.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... ANTIEAU, Kim. Coyote cowgirl. Tor. 284p. c2003.0-765-30268-3. $14.95. SA In her mid-twenties, Jeanne remains the baby of her restaurateur family: never trusted with anything serious, ignorant of family events before her birth. One evening,...

Chalker, Jack L. Kaspar's box.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CHALKER, Jack L. Kaspar's box. (The Three Kings Trilogy, #3.) Baen. 306p. c2003.0-74348843-1. $6.99. SA In the final installment of the trilogy, following Balshazzar's Serpent and Melchior's Fire, the reader returns to the tale of three...

Hoffman, Mary. Stravaganza: City of Masks.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... HOFFMAN, Mary. Stravaganza, city of masks. Bloomsbury. 344p. c2002. 1-58234917-7. $7.95. J This novel can be described as a montage of heart-stopping adventures that intertwine the lives of a group of complex and entertaining characters....

Marillier, Juliet. Wolfskin.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MARILLIER, Juliet. Wolfskin. Tor. 530p. map. c2002.0-765-34590-0. $7.99. SA Eyvind has always wanted to be a Wolfskin, a warrior who fights to honor the Viking god Thor and to serve the current Jarl. As a boy, Eyvind trained in his...

Mariotte, Jeff. Witch season: winter.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MARIOTTE, Jeff. Witch season: winter. Simon & Schuster. 276p. c2005.0-689-86725-5. $5.99. S In this third installment of the action-packed Witch Season quartet, following Summer and Fall, Kerry finds herself braving the winter chill as she...

Nix, Garth. Abhorsen.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... NIX, Garth. Abhorsen. (The Abhorsen Trilogy, #3.) HarperCollins. 340p. c2003. 0-06059498-5. $12.99. SA* Picking up where events left off in Lirael, Abhorsen is the final book in Nix's trilogy of the same name. The tension mounts...

Sagan, Nick. Idlewild.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SAGAN, Nick. Idlewild. Penguin, New American Library. 295p. c2003. 0-451-212061. $12.95. SA With an endorsement from no less than Neil Gaiman, master of what young, Matrix-savvy readers want, Idlewild has been given a good push. A...

Spinrad, Norman. The druid king, a novel.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SPINRAD, Norman. The druid king, a novel. Random House, Vintage. 411p. map. c2003.0-375-72496-6. $14.00. SA The Druid King tells the story of the Gallic chieftain, Vercingetorix, who united the tribes of Gaul against the Roman invasion led...

Stahler, David, Jr. Truesight.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... STAHLER, David, Jr. Truesight. HarperCollins, Eos. 245p. c2004. 0-06-052287-9. $6.99. J To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, January 2004: In the isolated community of Harmony Station, on the planet of Nova Campi, everyone...

Stephens, J.B. The big empty.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... STEPHENS, J. B. The big empty. Penguin, Razorbill. 204p. c2004. 1-59514-006-9. $6.99. JS A devastating respiratory illness, known as Strain 7, has killed over half of the world's inhabitants and the survivors live in terror. Even though...

Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... STROUD, Jonathan. The amulet of Samarkand. (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One.) Hyperion. 452p. c2003.0-7868-5255-0. $7.99. JSA* Eleven-year-old Nathaniel has been the apprentice of magician Arthur Underwood since he was five, but he is...

Thomson, Celia. The Chosen.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... THOMSON, Celia. The chosen. (The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Vol. 3.) Simon & Schuster. 245p. c2004. 0-689-86660-7. $6.99. S In this third installment of the promising series (following The Fallen and The Stolen, reviewed in KLIATT in...

Tier, Mark & Greenberg, Martin H., eds. Visions of liberty.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... TIER, Mark & GREENBERG, Martin H., eds. Visions of liberty. (Companion volume to Give Me Liberty.) Baen. 293p. c2004. 07434-8838-5. $6.99. JSA In the first volume of stories, Give Me Liberty, authoritarian outsiders invade peaceful free...

Wingert, Jennifer. Grasp the stars.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WINGERT, Jennifer. Grasp the stars. Penguin, DAW. 482p. c2004. 0-7564-0220-4. $6.99. SA This is the story of Deputy Rachel Ajmani of the Port Authority on Earth Port. Things have gotten severely hectic for all the humans in charge on Earth...

Akino, Matsuri. Pet shop of horrors.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... AKIN0, Matsuri. Pet shop of horrors. (Vol. 1.)Tokyopop. 187p. illus. c2003. 1591823633. $9.99. SA If you ever find yourself in Chinatown, why not visit Count D's pet shop? The Count is a fine host; he and his winged rabbit (Q-Chan) will...

Akino, Matsuri. Pet shop of horrors. (Vol. 8.) Tokyopop. 192p.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... AKINO, Matsuri. Pet shop of horrors. (Vol. 8.) Tokyopop. 192p. illus, c2004. 1591825059. SA $9.99. SA Pet Shop of Horrors." Volume 8 continues the adventures of Count D, the proprietor of a pet shop in Chinatown that offers a number of...

Chiba, Tomohiro. Gundam seed astray.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CHIBA, Tomohiro. Gundam seed astray. (Vol. 1.)Tokyopop. 174p. c2004. 1591829380. $9.99. JS When a group of junk techs scouring a decimated satellite for salvageable parts find a pair of fully functional MS Gundam Units, can giant robots in...

Clamp. Legend of Chun Hyang.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... CLAMP. Legend of Chun Hyang. Tokyopop. 222p. illus. 1591827639. $9.99. JS To say that Chun Hyang, the 14-year-old heroine of The Legend of Chun Hyang, is a strong female character would be an understatement. Employing a martial arts style...

Kubo, Tite. Bleach.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... KUBO, Tite. Bleach. Viz. 189p. illus, c2004. 1591164419. $7.95. JS Ichigo Kurosaki, the hero of Bleach, has a serious attitude problem. Maybe it's because he's 15 years old; maybe it's because of his bright orange hair, which has earned him...

Takahashi, Rumiko. Mermaid saga.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... TAKAHASHI, Rumiko. Mermaid saga. Viz. 206p. illus. 1591163366. c2004. $9.99. SA Yuta, the main character of Mermaid Saga, is 500 years old, and he has had enough of immortality. He ate the flesh of a mermaid as a young man and it granted...

Watase, Yu. Imadoki! Dandelion.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... WATASE, Yu. Imadoki! Dandelion. (Vol. one.) Viz. 193p. illus. 1591163307. $9.95. JS Tanpopo Yamakazi wastes no time making a big impression at her new high school; she rams her bike into Koki Kugyo, the most popular boy on campus. It's not the...

Gasper, Larry. Princes in waiting.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... GASPER, Larry. Princes in waiting. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Coteau. 251p. c2004. 1-55050-291-3. $16.95. JS Gasper's book of short stories is all about guys and "guy-things," and it should appeal to the young male reader searching for...

Krossing, Karen. Take the stairs.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... KROSSING, Karen. Take the stairs. Second Story Press. 181p. c2003. 1-896764-76-2. $7.95. JS In this set of interconnected stories, 13 teenagers tell of the circumstances and challenges they face. The teens are all connected by the building...

Marcus, Ben, ed. The Anchor book of new American short stories.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... MARCUS, Ben, ed. The Anchor book of new American short stories. Random House, Anchor. 480p. c2004. 1-4000-3482-5. $13.00. JSA The stories in this collection are organized by literary style and explore how language is used to develop...

Stabenow, Dana, ed. Wild crimes.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... STABENOW, Dana, ed. Wild crimes. Penguin, Signet. 289p. c2004. 0-451-21286-X. $6.99. SA Eleven new mysteries begin with Michael Armstrong's "Following the Quarters." Why would someone stuff coins into newspaper-dispensing machines at 2AM?...

Summer, Jane, ed. Not the only one; lesbian & gay fiction for teens.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... SUMMER, Jane, ed. Not the only one; lesbian & gay fiction for teens. Alyson Publications (PO Box 4371, Los Angeles CA 90078-4371). 304p. c2004. 1-55583-834-0. $13.95. JS LGBT characters are more present than ever in YA novels, but this...

Frank, Steven. The pen commandments; a guide for the beginning writer.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
January 1, 2005... FRANK, Steven. The pen commandments; a guide for the beginning writer. Random House, Anchor. 314p. c2003. 1-40003229-6. $11.95. JSA It seems that folks who write about writing are wannabe comedians, judging by their titles. We have reviewed...