Tag Archives: Friends

A Good Home for Max

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At night, Tabi, a kind-hearted little mouse, tidies the little toyshop where he lives. He worries about his best friend, Max the Dog, who never gets taken by a customer to a new home. Barnaby the Elephant, Gemma the Giraffe, Clarence the Bear, and the other toys all find good homes with a child to play with and a family to love. Since Max is always kept behind, Tabi decides to help Max find a good home. He tries every trick he knows. Finally, he notices something different. Max is gone. He sneaks on to the toyshop’s delivery truck and discovers that Max has a new home – across the street from the toyshop. And they remain best friends. The patterned, muted-color, paper-craft illustrations have many French words in signs and labels that add to this charming story about friendship. mjw

Title: A Good Home for Max Author: Junzo Terada Illustrator: Junzo Terada Publisher: Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California Copyright: 2014 Original Language: Japanese Original Title: Tabi no zakkaya (Tabi’s General Store) Original Publisher: Gakushu Kenkyusha Original Copyright: 2005 ISBN: 978-1-4521-2702-6 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 3-5 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Osaka, Japan Illustrator’s ethnicity: Japanese Illustrator’s residence: Osaka, Japan Subjects: Dogs, Friendship, Mice, Soft toys, Retail stores, Toys

My Happy Life

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Dani is excited and nervous about starting kindergarten. She lives with her dad. Her mother has passed away. She starts school and finds Ella, who becomes her best friend. They eat triangle and square sandwiches together, play with Ella’s pet hamster Partyboy, and they each wear half-heart friendship necklaces. However, not everything in Dani’s life is happy. When Ella moves away, Dani’s new loneliness reminds her of her mother’s death. Happiness comes and goes during Dani’s day-to-day life. The story ends positively. There is always something to rejoice in. Dani and Ella write letters to each other and plan to spend a weekend together at Ella’s new home. Difficult subjects are handled in a caring way in this charming story. With its simple language, twenty short chapters, and fine pen-and ink drawings on just about every page, My Happy Life is a great first chapter book. mjw

Title: My Happy Life Author: Rose Lagercrantz Illustrator: Eva Eriksson Publisher: Gecko Press,  Wellington, New Zealand Copyright: 2013 Original Language: Swedish Translator: Julia Marshall Original Title: Mitt Lyckliga Liv Original Publisher: Bonnier Carlsen Bokforlaget, Stockholm, Sweden Original Copyright: 2010 ISBN: 978-1-877579-35-6 Hardcover pages: 136 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Novel Book setting: Sweden Author’s ethnicity: Swedish Author’s residence: Sweden Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swedish Illustrator’s residence: Sweden Awards: Both author and illustrator have received the Astrid Lindgren Prize Subjects: Best friends, Death, Grandmothers, Grief, Happiness, Loss, Kindergarten, Optimism, Primary school, Single fathers.

The End of the Line

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It is 1942 in Amsterdam and five-year-old Jewish Beatrix is left on a tram when her mother is taken away by Nazi soldiers. She is saved when elderly ticket-taker Lars Gorter and his brother, Hans the conductor, claim that she is their niece. The two brothers have no idea how to take care of a child and they know that harboring a Jew could cost them their lives. They turn to their neighbors, Mrs. Vos and Lieve van der Meer, for help. The unlikely group becomes a family. They survive through the horrors of war, hunger and cold, bombings, fear, and anxiety. The book concludes with explanations of the characters’ futures after Holland’s liberation in 1945. It also includes a description of “When Strangers Were Saviors” and an Afterword that provides information about details of the war. Based on historical facts about World War II, this suspenseful short novel is written from the point of view of the two brothers, yet it will engage young readers. mjw

Title: The End of the Line Author: Sharon E. McKay Illustrator: Serena Malyon Publisher: Annick Press, Toronto Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-55451-658-2 Paperback pages: 120 Age range: 8-11 Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: Amsterdam Author’s ethnicity: Canadian Author’s residence: Prince Edward Island, Canada Awards: 2015 USBBY Outstanding International Books Grades 6-8, 2008 First children’s author to be awarded the title of CFAP -Vet (War Artist), Canadian Forces (War) Artists Program Subjects: Amsterdam, Courage, Elderly, Holocaust, Jews, Netherlands, Prejudice, Survival, Tolerance, World War II

The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee

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Twelve-year-old, special-needs student Candice, who lives in Queensland, Australia, is given a school assignment to write an alphabetical autobiography – one paragraph for each letter. But Candice is different and quirky and she loves the dictionary, so she decides to write a chapter for each letter. She knows herself and she has a lot to say. She tells about her struggling family, her friend Douglas Benson from Another Dimension, her teacher Miss Bamford, her religiously-confused pet fish, and her Rich Uncle Brian. She is on a mission to make everyone in her life happy and to understand her world. Candice is smart, optimistic, endearing, and self-diagnosed as weird. This first-person narrative is wonderfully funny and thought-provoking. mjw

Title: The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee Author: Barry Jonsberg Publisher: Chronicle Books Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English Original Title: My Life As The Alphabet Original Publisher: Allen and Unwin, Australia Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4521-3351-5 Hardcover pages: 242 Age range: 10-13 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Albright, Queensland, Australia Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: Darwin, Australia Awards: 2014 Children’s Book Council of Australia Honor Book, 2014 Prime Minister’s Literary Children’s Fiction Awards Shortlist Subjects: Australia, Autism, Families, Friendship, Parents

Wandering Wind

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Joginder, Daniel, Nicole, and Yasim are four friends who interact to help each other and solve a problem in this sweet story. The children are Muslim, Sikh, Jewish, and Christian. Lively watercolor paintings depict the different head coverings the children wear in the swirling wind. This book highlights both similarities and differences among children across religions and cultures. There is no intent to impose religious beliefs or practices. Included are a Note to Parents and Teachers and guiding questions for discussion. mjw

Title: Wandering Wind Author: Mubina Hassanali Kirmani and Brach Laster Illustrator: Betsy Carnes Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform Copyright: 2013 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-4825-8700-5 Paperback pages: 30 Age range: 4-8 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Indian-Kenyan (Kirmani) Author’s residence: U.S. Illustrator’s ethnicity: U.S. Illustrator’s residence: U.S. Subjects: Hijab, Kippah, Mantilla, Patkas, Religion, Social interaction

Cowgirl

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Gemma is a young teenager, who lives in a sad, run-down Welsh community named Bryn Mawr, where burglaries and muggings are common. Her dad is in prison and her mum has lost hope. Kate, the legendary Cowgirl, who lives out-of-town on her father’s dairy farm, is the school outcast. Gemma and Kate are thrown into an odd friendship. When Gemma learns that Kate’s beloved cows are due to be slaughtered, she concocts an unexpected plan, with the help of her no-nonsense grandmother, that changes the whole community. This refreshing and uplifting story is about everyone peacefully working together toward a common goal. mjw

Title: Cowgirl Author: G.R Gemin Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd., London, England Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-0-85763-281-4 Paperback pages: 261 Age range: 9 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: South Wales Author’s ethnicity: Welsh and Italian Author’s residence: London and Italy Awards: 2015 Carnegie Medal Nomination, 2015 UKLA Book Awards long list, 2015 Tir na n-Og Award (Welsh Book Council) Subjects: Community, Cows, Dairy farming, Flute, Grandmothers, Hinduism, School, South Wales

Dance of the Banished

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Teenagers Zeynep and Ali, who live in the village of Harput in Anatolia and plan to marry, are separated in June of 1913. Ali finds passage to Canada in search of a better life, but when World War I breaks out, he is declared an enemy alien and sent to an internment camp. Zeynep is left behind to work in a hospital, where she is faced with the horrors of war, revolution, and genocide. Each writes a journal for the other. Ali writes a chronicle of life in an internment camp in Kapuckasing, Ontario. Zeynep writes an eyewitness account of the Armenian genocide from the point of view of the Alevi Kurds. They are always in each other’s thoughts and are finally reunited in August of 1916. Based on true events, this well-researched story of love, hope, and tenacity to survive includes maps, an Author’s Note, and archival photographs of Kapuskasing Internment Camp, circa 1915. mjw

Title: Dance of the Banished Author: Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Publisher: Pajama Press, Canada Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-927485-65-1 Paperback pages: 234 Age range: 12 up Genre: Historical fiction Book setting: Anatolia, Turkey; Canada Author’s ethnicity: Canadian and Ukrainian Author’s residence: Ontario, Canada Awards: 2008 Order of Princess Olha, Ukraine.  Appointed to Canada’s First World War Internment Recognition Endowment Council Subjects: Canadian history, Emigration, Immigration, Internment camps, Prejudice, Racism, World War I

The Fastest Boy in the World

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Eleven-year-old Solomon loves to run and dreams of seeing his heroes, the 2012 London Olympics gold-medal-winning Ethiopian running team. He cannot believe it when his grandfather announces that he is going to take Solomon to Addis Ababa on the day of the team’s victory parade. On their visit, Solomon learns that his grandfather was a famous runner and also that he was a war hero who risked his life to save a friend. When his grandfather collapses, Solomon has to run the twenty miles from the city to his village for help. This easy-to-read, short novel, with black-and-white ink drawings, introduces young readers to a setting that is very different from the Western world. mjw

Title: The Fastest Boy in the World Author: Elizabeth Laird Illustrator: Peter Bailey Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, London Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-4472-6717-1 Paperback pages: 163 Age range: 7 up Genre: Fiction Book setting: Addis Ababa and Kidame, Ethiopia Author’s ethnicity: British (born in New Zealand) Author’s residence: U.K. Illustrator’s ethnicity: British (born in India) Illustrator’s residence: U.K. Awards: 2015 Carnegie Medal nominee. Author has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal five times Subjects: Addis Ababa, Athletes, Ethiopia, Grandfathers, Olympics (London 2012), Running, Sports, Success

Emil and the Detectives

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Young schoolboy, Emil Tischbein (Tabletoe in this translation) is excited about his first train ride alone. Pinned into his pocket is the money that he is taking to his grandmother. While Emil is asleep on the train, a mysterious man in a bowler hat steals the money and disappears. With the help of a local boy named Gustav (Gus) and a gang of young detectives, Emil tracks the clever thief through Berlin. The robber is finally arrested and Emil receives a reward of 100 marks. When asked what the moral of the story is, Emil’s grandmother replies “Don’t send cash – use traveler’s checks!” Eighteen delightful black-and-white illustrations make this tale of loyalty, courage, and teamwork come alive. This is Kastner’s best-known work and it is the only one of his pre-1945 books to escape Nazi burning. It has been translated into 59 languages. This edition, the third English translation, provides modernized, colloquial American slang. The story has been filmed several times, including a 1964 Disney adaptation. mjw

Title: Emil and the Detectives: A Novel for Children Author: Erich Kastner  Illustrator: Walter Trier Introduction: Maurice Sendak Publisher: The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, New York Copyright: 2014 Original Language: German Translator: W. Martin Original Title: Emil und die Detektive Original Publisher: Williams and Co. Verlag, Berlin Original Copyright: 1929 ISBN: 978-1-4683-0829-7 Paperback pages: 159 Age range: 8 up Genre: Fiction, Mystery Book setting: Berlin Author’s ethnicity: German Author’s residence: Germany Illustrator’s ethnicity: German Illustrator’s residence: Germany Translator’s residence: Chicago and Berlin Awards: 1960 Hans Christian Andersen Award, 1968 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Subjects: Berlin, Boys, Detectives, Germany, Mothers and sons, Mysteries, Robbers

Marina

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In May 1980, fifteen-year-old boarding school student Oscar Drai vanishes for a week after he meets the beautiful, ethereal Marina and her aged, portrait painter father, German Blau. Oscar and Marina walk to a hidden cemetery in the old Barcelona quarter where they witness a strange ritual. A woman, shrouded in black, places a rose on a grave marked with a black butterfly emblem. The complicated plot evolves as they try to solve this mystery. They unravel thirty years of macabre adventure and tragedy, involving post-WWII high society, a young diva, inventors, and tycoons in Barcelona’s underworld. An enjoyable part of the twisted gothic horror tale is the rich and flowing language describing Barcelona, but because of the disturbing paranormal elements, it is not the sort of book to read before bedtime. mjw

Title: Marina Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Copyright: 2014 Original Language: Spanish Translator: Lucia Graves Original Title: Marina Original Publisher: Edebe, Barcelona Original Copyright: 1999 ISBN: 978-0-316-04471-4 Hardcover pages: 326 Age range: 12 up Genre: Fiction, Mystery Book setting: Barcelona, Spain Author’s ethnicity: Spanish Author’s residence: Spain and U.S. Awards: Author has won Spain’s Edebe Literary Prize for Young Adult Fiction Subjects: Barcelona, History, Mystery, Paranormal, Spain, Supernatural

Jumping Jack

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Jumping Jack, a show-jumping horse, and Roger Trotter, his best friend and rider, were international champions. However, at the International Tournament of Primrose, they fall and look like very bad amateurs. They visit a veterinarian and a psychologist to discover that there is nothing wrong that would cause their problems on the course. They even try a two-week vacation. After a mishap at the next International Tournament, they invent a new style, finish the competition brilliantly, and see that Jumping Jack just needed glasses. The vividly colored gouache paintings are downright comical. On a small stool in the vet’s waiting room, Jack’s knees are up to his chest. And in the psychologist’s office, Jack lies on his back on the couch. The final spread shows Roger reading Sports Weekly and Jack reading Don Quixote, both wearing red, round spectacles. mjw

Title: Jumping Jack Author: Germano Zullo Illustrator: Albertine Publisher: Chronicle Books Copyright: 2014 Original Language: French Translator: Taylor Norman Original Title: Dada Original Publisher: Editions La Joie de lire SA, Geneva, Switzerland Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-4521-3152-8 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture book Author’s ethnicity: Swiss Author’s residence: Switzerland Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swiss Illustrator’s residence: Switzerland Awards: 2014 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award Subjects: Confidence, Glasses, Horses, Show-jumping, Sports

Jasmine Skies

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Fourteen-year-old, mixed-race, Mira Levinson, who lives in London, travels to Kolkata to visit her cousin Priya, after the death of her Granddad Bimal. She is overwhelmed by the sights, sounds, and people she encounters. The sweltering heat, crowded streets, hard-hitting and heart-breaking poverty, and mouth-watering descriptions of food are really brought to life. Mira is compassionate, funny, and inquisitive. She is quiet, loves to paint, and is comfortable in a sari. Priya is an underground DJ and a gifted classical dancer, who is full of spunk and ambition. She dyes her hair red and wears skinny jeans and t-shirts instead of traditional Indian dress. The two are opposites, but they quickly become best friends. Added to this perception-changing story are the mystery of why Mira’s mother and Aunt Anjali had a falling out years ago and a love affair with the sweet boy, Janu. Many issues remain unresolved in this thought-provoking book. It is a sequel to Artichoke Hearts (a.k.a. Mira in the Present Tense). Watch for Brahmachari’s next book. mjw

Title: Jasmine Skies Author: Sita Brahmachari Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company, Chicago Copyright: 2014 Original Language: English Original Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books, UK Original Copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-8075-3782-4 Paperback pages: 332 Age range: 8-12 Genre: Fiction Book setting: Kolkata, India Author’s ethnicity: Indian Author’s residence: UK Awards: Longlisted for the 2013 Carnegie Medal Subjects: Culture, Dance, India, Kolkata