BATS: SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT
by Diane Ackerman
photographed by Merlin Tuttle
Crown;ISBN: 0517709198;$18;1997

In language both poetic and precise, Ackerman introduces readers to these mysterious creatures and to their champion, bat expert Melvin Tuttle, whose award-winning photographs illuminate the text.

Suggested for ages 9 - 13
Subjects: Bats | Melvin Tuttle

THE SECRETS OF ANIMAL FLIGHT
by Nic Bishop
Houghton Mifflin;ISBN: 0395778484;$14.95;1997

We know birds, bats, and insects can fly. Here are careful explanations, clear diagrams, and vibrant high-speed photographs that reveal the principles of animal flight.

Suggested for ages 8 - 12
Subjects: Animals | Bats | Birds | Flight | Insects | Photography

TANGERINE
by Edward Bloor
Harcourt Brace;ISBN: 015201246X;$17;1997

Paul Fisher may be legally blind, but in many ways he sees more than most do. This novel of growing self-awareness will intrigue middle school readers with its exciting sports descriptions and hint of mystery.

Suggested for ages 12 - 14
Subjects: Blindness | Brothers | Fiction | Florida | Soccer | Sports

THE OCTOPUS: PHANTOM OF THE SEA
by Mary M. Cerullo
photographed by Jeffrey L. Rotman
Cobblehill;ISBN: 0525651993;$16.99;1997

This detail-rich description of the ocean's shyest inhabitants uses familiar images to explain complex ideas. Clear, carefully crafted photographs display the vast variety of octopi, from just-hatched babies to giants that tip the scales at 100 pounds.

Suggested for ages 8 - 12
Subjects: Ocean Life

BACK OF BEYOND: STORIES
by Sarah Ellis
illustrated by Andrew Moore
Margaret McElderry;ISBN: 0689814844;$15;1997

Expect the unexpected and the unexplainable in these 12 stories about young people in everyday events that take quick and quirky turns. More fun than fright, though some of both.

Suggested for ages 12 - 15
Subjects: Fiction | Short Stories | Supernatural

SEEDFOLKS
by Paul Fleischman
illustrated by Judy Pedersen
HarperCollins;ISBN: 0060274719;$13.95;1997

These spare, short chapters, each in a separate, distinctive voice, tell the shared tale of the blooming of an inner city vacant lot and the flowering of neighborliness among the gardeners, whose own roots are varied.

Suggested for ages 10 - 13
Subjects: Fiction | Gardens | Inner City | Neighborhoods

LILY'S CROSSING
by Patricia Reilly Giff
Delacorte;ISBN: 0385321422;$14.95;1997

Their lives caught and changed by the war in Europe, Lily and Albert, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis, become friends in Rockaway during the summer of 1944 and find solace and courage in each other's company. A 1998 Newbery Honor book.

Suggested for ages 8 - 12
Subjects: Fiction | Friendship | Newbery Honor | Refugees | World War II

SUN & SPOON
by Kevin Henkes
Greenwillow;ISBN: 0688152325;$15;1997

Ten-year-old Spoon's grandmother died several months ago. Afraid he will one day forget her, Spoon searches for something to remember her by. This quiet, comforting tale of loss and grief is full of family love, humor, and little bits of ordinary life.

Suggested for ages 9 - 12
Subjects: Death | Families | Fiction | Grandfathers | Grandmothers | Grief