TODAY I WILL FLY: AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGY BOOK
written and illustrated by Mo Willems
Hyperion;ISBN: 9781423102953;$8.99;2007

Gloomy Gerald elephant and joyful, optimistic Pig entertain early readers in each of these four books containing minimalist paintings and spare texts. The two irresistible friends encounter quirky problems and triumph over each one with totally unpredictable solutions.

Suggested for ages 4 - 7
Subjects: Friendship

THE TALENTED CLEMENTINE
by Sara Pennypacker
illustrated by Marla Frazee
Hyperion;ISBN: 9780786838707;$14.99;

With the talent show looming and the class brimming over with ideas, Clementine struggles to find her own hidden gifts. Loosely limned line drawings add the perfect comic touch to this second story about the irrepressible imp.

Suggested for ages 6 - 12
Subjects: Self-perception

BOOK OF A THOUSAND DAYS
by Shannon Hale
illustrated by James Noel Smith
Bloomsbury;ISBN: 9781599900513;$17.95;2007

This captivating fantasy is told through the diary pages of a young peasant girl imprisoned in a tower. Romance, mistaken identities, danger, a monster, and an engaging pet cat will leave readers sighing with contentment.

Suggested for ages 12 - 16

BOOT CAMP
by Todd Strasser
Simon & Schuster;ISBN: 9781416908487;$15.99;2007

When Garrett goes well beyond the limits set by his parents, they send him to Harmony Lake Boot Camp. There, fellow “campers" literally beat him into submission” in this fast-paced, chilling novel which includes a listing of actual similar cases.

Suggested for ages 14 - 18
Subjects: Family problems

THE OFF SEASON [AUDIOBOOK]
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
narrated by Natalie Moore
Listening Library;ISBN: 9780739351062;$45;2007

When D. J. Schwenk begins her first season as a football player, she grapples with a push-me-pull-you relationship with Brian, the opposing QB; learns more about the lives of her parents and what it takes to be an adult; and copes with a tragedy that changes her world in less than a second. Moore carries her splendid performance of the first volume straight on into this one.

Suggested for ages 14 - 18
Subjects: Football