SKELLIG
by David Almond
Delacorte;ISBN: 038532653X;$15.95;1999

In this mysterious, poetic novel, two children form an unlikely friendship as they seek to protect a strange cobweb-covered creature—could it be an angel?—which they find in a crumbling garage.

Suggested for ages 11 - 14
Subjects: Angels | Death | England | Fantasy | Fiction | Moving | Strangers

FIRE IN THEIR EYES: WILDFIRES AND THE PEOPLE WHO FIGHT THEM
by Karen Magnuson Beil and Karen Magnuson Beil
Harcourt Brace;ISBN: 0152010424;$10;1999

Feel the heat of the fire through crisp photographs and gripping text as you discover the complex world of wildfires and the courageous men and women who battle them.

Suggested for ages 11 - 14
Subjects: Ecology | Fire Prevention | Wildfire Fighters

IN THE SHADE OF THE NISPERO TREE
by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Orchard;ISBN: 0531301540;$15.95;1999

Teresa and Ana's friendship is threatened by the ambitious and unintenional cruelty of Teresa's mother. A story of prejudice and discrimination set in 1960's Puerto Rico.

Suggested for ages 10 - 12
Subjects: Best Friends | Fiction

THE FOLK KEEPER
by Franny Billingsley
Atheneum;ISBN: 0689828764;$16;1999

Corinna the folk keeper (a magical servant duty-bound to appease the forces of darkness) must steer a path between danger and birthright in this richly poetic tale set in Victorian England. An affirmation of the adolescent struggle to grow up whole in a compartmentalized world.

Suggested for ages 12 - 15
Subjects: Fantasy | Fiction | Folklore

GETTING NEAR TO BABY
by Audrey Couloumbis
Putnam;ISBN: 039923389X;$17.99;1999

As Willa Jo sits on the roof of her bossy Aunt Patty's house, she slowly reveals the story of her family's grief at the death of her baby sister. Told with humor and peopled with unforgettable characters.

Suggested for ages 11 - 14
Subjects: Fiction | Newbery Honor | Sisters

BUD, NOT BUDDY
by Christopher Paul Curtis
Delacorte;ISBN: 0385323069;$15.95;1999

Bud runs away from a cruel foster home to find the man he knows must be his father. Depression era Michigan is the setting for this funny, sad, surprising novel bursting with memorable characters.

Suggested for ages 10 - 13
Subjects: African Americans | Fiction | Historical | Humor | Newbery Medal | Runaways

DIVE! MY ADVENTURES IN THE DEEP FRONTIER
by Sylvia A. Earle
National Geographic Society;ISBN: 0792271440;$18.95;1999

Meet a traveler to Earth's most mysterious frontier. In scuba gear, diving suits, and underwater labs, Dr. Earle has spent her life exploring unknown ocean depths. Splendid photos document her autobiographical journey.

Suggested for ages 10 - 14
Subjects: Biography | Exploration

FRANCIE
by Karen English
Farrar, Straus & Giroux;ISBN: 0374324565;$16;1999

Daily life holds little joy for "Negros" in 1930's Noble, Alabama. Only the promise of a better life in Chicago keeps Francie, her mother, and little brother going through the sickness, injustice, and fear so clearly and authentically portrayed here.

Suggested for ages 12 - 14
Subjects: African Americans | Fiction | Friendship | Race Relations