A step in the right direction

I have not read a new children's book in some time, and this afternoon had the dreaded question put forth by one of the resource center frequent patrons. "What's the best new book you've read that would be appropriate for sixth graders?" We talked for a few minutes, I copped to my reading transgressions, and I sent her to the collection blog to peruse new titles. Neither of us fully satisfied, but understanding that was the best option available.

Chagrined, this afternoon I quickly and quietly pilfered four titles from the cart of children's books awaiting delivery to the new book shelf; two graphic novels and two general fiction:

• Bird House, by Vernon White
  The King has grown old and lonely and is ferociously hated in his Kingdom. When a servant attempts to poison him, an all-out search begins for those who resist his rule. Meanwhile, the King's only daughter despises her life in the castle. She dreams of returning to a town she once visited, but is forbidden to take one step outside of the castle walls. Her plans to escape strain her relationship with her fiance who has sworn to protect the King. Her only hope falls on an absent-minded servant hired within the castle to do construction. With his help, she hopes to recapture the freedom she so briefly felt. With a fairy-tale-like setting, combined with modern themes of isolation, obligation, and longing, Birdhouse is a magical debut graphic novel from new talent Vernon White. -- Amazon product description
  
  
• Booth, by C.C. Colbert
  In a time when brother was pitted against brother, no family was more divided than the Booths.The United States has become violently polarized. Political fanaticism divides an embittered populace. A recently elected President—an energizing symbol of change for some, and a harbinger of the downfall of America for others—stands at the center of the turmoil. It is 1865, and John Wilkes Booth is about to assassinate the President of the United States. From the pen of American historian C.C. Colbert and the brush of French comics master Tanitoc comes a thought-provoking perspective on one of the greatest villains of U.S. History: a killer who was also an actor, a lover, a doubter, and, in his own mind, a patriot. -- Amazon product description
  
  
• Once, by Morris Gleitzman
  Felix, a Jewish boy in Poland in 1942, is hiding from the Nazis in a Catholic orphanage. The only problem is that he doesn't know anything about the war, and thinks he's only in the orphanage while his parents travel and try to salvage their bookselling business. And when he thinks his parents are in danger, Felix sets off to warn them--straight into the heart of Nazi-occupied Poland. To Felix, everything is a story: Why did he get a whole carrot in his soup? It must be sign that his parents are coming to get him. Why are the Nazis burning books? They must be foreign librarians sent to clean out the orphanage's outdated library. But as Felix's journey gets increasingly dangerous, he begins to see horrors that not even stories can explain. -- Amazon product description
  


• Alchemy and Meggy Swann, by Karen Cushman
  "Fans of Karen Cushman's witty, satisfying novels will welcome Meggy Swann,newly come to London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy's mother was glad to be rid of her; her father, who sent for her, doesn't want her after all. Meggy is appalled by London,dirty and noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around in--not that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks.Just as her alchemist father pursues his Great Work of transforming base metal into gold, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation. Earthy and colorful, Elizabethan London has its dark side, but it also has gifts in store for Meggy Swann." - Amazon product description
  

Out of curiosity I checked; I haven't posted a juvenile book review here since early October, Angry Management. I hope one of these four books changes that sad, sorry, state of affairs.

Not my picks

As I've mentioned before, another librarian on staff purchases children's literature with funds from a small endowment (very small). A large cart arrived on Friday afternoon and I had a few minutes this afternoon to peruse a few of the selected titles. Here is what's new to me:

• The Demon's Lexicon
• Clover Twig and the Magical Cottage
• Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical
• Sacred Scars
• Which Way to the Wild West? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion
• The Silver Door
• The Eyeball Collector
• The Miles Between
• The Deep
• City Boy
• The Runaway Dragon

I took The Miles Between to lunch this afternoon, but did not finish it (I did read the end). Late last week I went through two issues of Booklist and the most recent School Library Journal. I should have another cart of juvenile books in B & T by the end of the week. I love doing collection development for juvenile and young adult books.

Angry Management

Mr. Nak has been hired by Global Community Health as a community counselor; charged with leading an anger management session populated by an eclectic group of students, Angry Management, by Chris Crutcher, tells their stories. Sarah and Angus have highly visible issues, Sarah was disfigured by abuse and Angus is a "big guy." Both slow to trust, their budding friendship evolves into a tentative relationship born during a deeply personal road trip west to help Sarah face her past. Montana writes for the school newspaper covering topics that are more often than not censored by the school board, lead by her adoptive father. Trey is a football star living with his grandmother, a down to earth woman battling cancer. Montana's article about the medicinal use of marijuana sparks controversy within their families and community. Matt and Marcus could not be more different; one deeply religious and the other openly gay, their paths cross when standing up to do the right thing ends in tragedy.

Each story is told in the distinctly different voice of the featured pair and tied together with short transcribed notes by the counselor. And while there are no clichéd happy endings, neither are there any real surprises. This is one of those novels where the end is not as important as getting there. It's about the journey.

If the Witness Lied

If the Witness Lied, by Caroline B. Cooney. The Fountain family children have survived unimaginable tragedy; their father a victim of a horrific car accident and the youngest member of the family "blamed." To complicate matters, when expecting Tris, their mother was diagnosed with cancer and elected to forgo treatment in favor of a healthy baby. The family is scattered, Jack with Aunt Cheryl to care for Tris and sisters Smithy and Madison at boarding school and with Godparents. When Aunt Cheryl decides they should participate in a reality television series for closure, the siblings form a tenuous bond to protect Tris and in the process learn about themselves, and the lone witness to their father's accident.

Witness has a significantly disturbed character in Aunt Cheryl, moves along at a quick pace, and features teenage siblings that are surviving to the best of their ability, yet at the same time believably self absorbed. Once the siblings reunite and decide to take action things fall too quickly into place' final scenes are tidy and almost anti-climactic as they confirm the title and premise.

Somthing to read

Today was my Saturday shift for the summer term (and now it's over!). There was a newly cataloged cart of children's books awaiting delivery to the new book shelves in the juvenile collection. It is never enough to just rearrange and shelve the books, there is always time to review new additions; as I was shelving I could not resist selecting one or two or six to check-out.

• Swim the Fly, Don Calame
• Dull Boy, Sarah Cross

"What do you do if you can deadlift a car, and you spend your nights flying to get away from it all? If you’re fifteen-year-old Avery Pirzwick, you keep that information to yourself. When you’re a former jock turned freak, you can’t afford to let the secret slip. "

"But then Avery makes some friends who are as extraordinary as he is. He realizes they’re more than just freaks—together, maybe they have a chance to be heroes. First, though, they have to decide whether to trust the mysterious Cherchette, a powerful wouldbe mentor whose remarkable generosity may come at a terrible price." -- Dull Boy, Amazon product description

• King of the Screwups, K.L. Going
• Gentlemen, Michael Northrop

"Micheal, Tommy, Mixer, and Bones aren't just from the wrong side of the tracks--they're from the wrong side of everything. Except for Mr. Haberman, their remedial English teacher, no one at their high school takes them seriously. Haberman calls them "gentlemen," but everyone else ignores them--or, in Bones's case, is dead afraid of them. When one of their close-knit group goes missing, the clues all seem to point in one direction: to Mr. Haberman." -- Gentlemen, Amazon product description

• Girlfriend Material, Melissa Kantor
• The Summer I Turned Pretty, Jenny Han

Two were destined for home this afternoon, Gentlemen and Dull Boy, and are resting comfortabley on the sofa as I listen to the hockey game on Pens radio and try to ignore the ten second delay between radio and television because of the fickle announcers on NBC (they are very pro-Redwing, the Pens have not yet won a game, it's the Wings losing). I'll soon have to decide listen or watch, doing both is very disconcerting.

A Penguin Story

A Penguin Story, is the latest book by Antoinette Portis author/creator of Not a Box. Edna the penguin's life is snow white, dark nights, and blue water and sky. Craving color and something different, she ventures out into the world and finds ... orange! Eager to share her discovery, Edna rushes home and leads the others to a camp of scientists living in vivid orange tents with matching coats and gloves. The two communities become friends and when the scientists depart, Edna is given an orange glove as a reminder of their adventure. Portis cleverly uses a limited color palette of white, black, blue, and orange juxtaposed against the penguins for maximum effect; even the text is presented in black and white. Readers are left wondering what color Edna will find next on her next adventure, "What else could there be?"

Eagle-eyed readers will spot the low flying orange air plane foreshadowing color to come and might enjoy guessing what Edna will find during her journey through the frozen tundra. Children who have seen some of the recent penguin movies, such as Happy Feet, may have added questions concerning the scientists. However, this adventure will please anyone who has ever craved something different.

Pete & Pickles

Pete & Pickles, by Berkeley Breathed is a delightful story of unlikely friendship, acceptance and love between a "perfectly, predictable, pig" named Pete and a wonderfully exuberant circus elephant named Pickles. The pair meet during a stormy night when Pickles, an escapee from the circus, attempts to hide under Pete's couch. Found and returned to the circus by a tired clown, Pickles leaves behind a gift of bright, yellow dandelions. Pete's walk the next day takes him to the circus where he helps Pickles escape; soon the two friends are sharing Pete's home and wonderful adventures directed by the free-spirited elephant. Friendship hits a snag when Pickles begins "getting into things she shouldn't have been in" and Pete asks her to leave. The resulting fiasco causes mayhem and puts the pair in danger. Told with vibrant and lush digitally mastered artwork, Pete & Pickles is an appealing tale perfect for sharing.

Chain win's O'Dell Award

Over at Read Roger,this year's Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction winner has been announced; Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Horn Book Magazine reviewed Chains in their 2008 November/December issue:

"Despite protests that her former owner’s will had freed them, Isabel Finch and her five-year-old sister Ruth are sold and shipped from Newport, Rhode Island, to New York City in May 1776. Their new owners are fierce Loyalists, and one young African American rebel sees Isabel as a potential spy: “You are a slave, not a person. They’ll say things in front of you they won’t say in front of the white servants. ’Cause you don’t count.” At first, Isabel isn’t keen to help: “I’m just fighting for me and Ruth. You can keep your rebellion.” But when she overhears her master’s scheme to kill George Washington, Isabel reports it to a Patriot colonel. The rebels foil the plot; Isabel, however, is forgotten. Finally, Isabel realizes that it’s up to her—and her alone—to find freedom. Anderson’s novel is remarkable for its strong sense of time and place and for its nuanced portrait of slavery and of New York City during the Revolutionary War. A detailed author’s note separates fact from historical fiction." - TANYA D. AUGER

For more information:

• Scott O'Dell Award
• Award (2009) Press Release
• Laurie Halse Anderson's web site
• Publisher's Weekly: Chains Wins Scott O'Dell Award
• School Library Journal: Chains Wins Scott O'Dell Award

I haven't read Chains, I did read and enjoy Andersons previous novel Twisted, but am pleased to report it is part of the library's juvenile collection. It's nice this was announced before the mother ship awards on Monday (it's not lost in the hoopla).

Announcements of ALA's Youth Media Awards are pending this weekend's midwinter meetings in Denver.

Janes in Love

Janes in Love, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg is the second title featuring the P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art In Neighborhoods) Jane's. An art-loving high school girl "tribe" living in Metro City, the Janes are once again planning, practicing, and presenting artistic vandalism to the neighborhood. The girls grow weary, or possibly jaded, with the response from local authorities and face growing peer pressure as they try to balance growing social lives with their desire to remain non-conformist. As the girls struggle with issues of high school, friendship, and society, each takes steps to grow as individuals with diverse wants and needs; the central Jane determines to apply for an art grant.

Throughout the book more complicated familial issues are revealed, Jane's mother has become agoraphobic as a result of the terrorist attack in the first novel, and somewhat clutter the ensuing story line. Readers new to the series may not quite grasp the more subtle references to the terrorist attack in the previous novel. Regardless, this is cleanly illustrated and easy to read graphic novel that remains consistent in it's portrayal of adolescents. Those enjoying Janes in Love should treat themselves and read The Plain Janes.


Discussion guides are available for other titles, here's hoping one for Janes in Love is forthcoming. The first book in this series, The PLAIN Janes, was discussed here in May of 2007.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling, is a collection of wizarding tales brought to reader's attention in the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Transated by Hermonie Granger, the Beedle Bard collection provides Muggles with insight into traditional tales told to wizard children and includes stories of true love as well as those which are darker and dangerous ("Hairy Heart"). Accompanying each tale is insightful, and often pithy, commentary from Albus Dumbledore which provides readers with additional information regarding several series characters. Readers hoping for more Harry Potter adventure may be disappointed, but this is a nice collection that will undoubtedly find it's way in to many fan's personal libraries.

Scholastic is donating net proceeds of this book to the Children's High Level Group.

Lincoln books

With the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birthday approaching, the number of books available on the topic is staggering. I have been carefully picking and choosing (aka practicing responsible collection development) for several months now trying to get a mix of fiction and non-fiction juvenile titles that will be useful for the collection and the classroom. Here are a few recent selections:

• Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln
• Lincoln Shot! A Presidents Life Remembered
• Lincoln Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Shaped an Extraordinary Life
• Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin, Tale

This morning the December edition of Booklist was in my mailbox and I selected general titles for the circulating collection that will be of use to education majors student teaching in high school history and social studies, as well as students taking history courses at the college.

• Mrs. Lincoln: A Life
• Best American History: Assays on Lincoln

I have not finished juvenile selections, but there may be one or two to enhance what has already been added. So far, my personal favorites of the group are Lincoln Shot! A Presidents Life Remembered, it has a unique presentation, and Lincoln Through the Lens. As a result of casual book-talking in the library, both are currently checked out through the end of the term

blackbox

Blackbox, by Julie Schumacher.

When Elena's older sister Dora is admitted to the hospital for treatment following an overdose, repercussions reverberate quickly through their small, close-knit family. "'She's okay Mom, it must have been a mistake" (p. 16). The Lindt's struggle to cope with this new reality while simultaneously searching for the best treatment. Elena has lost her sister and, in some ways, her parents as they maintain an everything-will-be-fine facade. Feeling adrift from family and friends, Elena is befriended by Jimmy, a school mate with first hand understanding of what depression can do. Family pressure to keep Dora's illness a secret expand and Elena must choose between honoring her sisterly bond and doing what is best for her sister; truths will out and everyone will need to live with the new reality Dora's illness presents.

I was originally drawn to this title because the author also wrote The Book of One Hundred Truths.While both titles focus on families and truth, Blackbox deals with a topic that is, in many cases, taboo, depression. Elena and her family are dealing with a complex situation to the best of their ability. Mistakes are made and there are no easy answers, but readers will be impressed with the honest, realistic dialogue and reactions of Schumacher’s well-rounded characters. Don't miss reading this one.

Shift

Shift, debut novel by author Jennifer Bradbury. Three weeks from high school graduation, a throwaway announcement made on a whim to avoid his mother’s summer job lecture, Chris announces he is going to ride across country with his best friend and fellow bicycle enthusiast Win. As graduation nears, word spreads amongst the senior class and what began as a lark snowballs, their purported trip the stuff of legend. Chris and Win make their metaphorical trip a reality and embark on their journey to Seattle, Washington. Simple in theory, their ride becomes increasingly complex when Win disappears and Chris is left to finish alone, return home, and face the consequences of his friends actions. Not charged in Win’s disappearance, Chris begins college dogged by an investigator searching for Win. Flashbacks reveal the boy’s journey and it becomes obvious, though best friends each has secrets to hide. Both are using the time to find themselves, whoever and where ever that may be.

This book is wonderfully realistic; readers are able to travel along the highway with Chris and Win, meeting interesting characters and locals. But this is not a typical "buddy book," these boys are refreshingly complex. When Win disappears, Chris is left to wonder if that is what he had planned all along and ultimately feels equal parts betrayal and worry. Delightfully crafted, there are many layered nuances and shades of truth, lies, and mystery to hold a reader’s attention until the last page.

Guyaholic

In Guyaholic, by Carolyn Mackler, High school senior Vivienne Vail Valentine, better known as "V," has a well-earned reputation; she specializes in short term relationships. She does not have boyfriends, she "hooks up" and "hangs out," generally over a two-week period of time, and then moves on. With fitting irony, V, having worked hard to not follow her mother's destructive pattern, has essentially emulated her tactics without using the word "boyfriend." Things change during V's senior when she is sent to Brockport to live with her grandparents. V meets Sam Almond at a hockey game and as graduation nears they have been together for three months. Refusing to label their relationship, V notes "We exist in this blurry zone that's more than friends with benefits and less than going out." Things change when V's mother misses graduation and V, in turn, lashes out by cheating on Sam - and getting caught. Hurt, miserable, guilty, and self-absorbed, V undertakes a cross country journey to find her mother and along the way finds pieces of someone more important, herself.

Mackler's portrayal of wild V is sharp and to the point; she makes no excuses, and takes no prisoners. With a great cast of supporting characters, she also keeps V from becoming a stereotypical bad-girl. This is a fast paced novel that will definitely appeal to teenage girls. A follow-up to Vegan Virgin Valentine, it stands on its own merit.

The Boxer and the Spy

In The Boxer and the Spy, by Robert B. Parker, a young man's body is found washed up on the shore if small town Cabot, Massachusetts and is ruled an apparent suicide with dubious overtones of steroid abuse. Fifteen-year-old Terry Novak finds suicide hard to believe; Jason Green planned to be a landscape designer, suffered from bouts of asthma, did not have the reputation to support steroid use, and once offered words of condolence to a grieving classmate. With the help of his friend Abby, Terry begins to question rumors and innuendo only to find the circumstance of Jason's death surrounded by mystery, greed, and deception. While the mystery itself is open to the readers, Parker uses spycam chapters to delve into psyche of other characters; readers will be intrigued at how Abby, Terry, and their network of friends strive to find the truth while learning about their own moral fiber and character.

Anyone familiar with Parker's other works, Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall, will easily recognize this novel's enigmatic, witty dialogue and overall storytelling structure. As a young adult, Terry is growing into his personal code of honor and has a strong mentor in George, the veteran boxer teaching him to fight. Young readers will enjoy not only Terry and Abby's frank discussions about school, sex, friendship and life, but also unraveling the mystery afoot.

Tags: The Boxer and the Spy, Robert B. Parker, Juvenile fiction, YA fiction

Debbie Harry Sings in French

Debbie Harry Sings in French, by author Meagan Brothers offers readers a fresh coming-of-age novel. After his father's death, Johnny takes care of his mother and ultimately becomes the adult performing necessary mundane tasks of grocery shopping, paying bills, and getting a job when the money is gone. Self described as "just sort of there," he has always been a bit different; not a Goth, Johnny enjoys the flamboyance of their style; not interested in drugs, he takes an adults solace in alcohol and music. This lifestyle choice takes a nightmare toll, a near fatal accident with drugs and alcohol that provides his mother with a wake-up call.

Sent to live with his Uncle Sam and cousin Bug, Johnny is enrolled in a private school hoping just to survive the year and graduate. Johnny bonds with Maria, a fellow prep-school outsider with the same taste in music. In love with Maria, Johnny struggles with understanding his own sexuality and inherent enjoyment of dressing in drag. The teens forge a complicated relationship based on friendship, music, love, and acceptance. Uncle Sam provides a stable father figure and introduces Johnny to a different side of his father, letting him know they are more alike than he ever imagined.

I admit the title of this book is what intrigued me to take it from the cart. I remember Deborah Harry and Blondie in the infancy of MTV (Call Me, Heart of Glass, and Rapture) and wondered how it would work in a contemporary novel without becoming campy. It works nicely; this novel is a wonderful, truthful, and quirky look at how teenagers view themselves, authority, parents, and their sexuality.

Tags: Debbie Harry Sings in French, Meagan Brothers, Juvenile fiction, Young adult fiction, YA fiction

Peeled

There is something strange, almost sinister, surrounding recent happenings at Ludlow house in Banesville. A few citizens reporting ghostly sightings is not of great concern. But combined with town newcomer Madame Zobek's ominous gloom and doom predictions, a sudden influx of advertising cash at the local newspaper, a decrease in The Bee's factual reporting, the purported influx of spirit activity is as unsettling as the ugly rumors of eminent domain circulating amongst local apple farmers.

In Peeled, by Newbery Honor author Joan Bauer, Hildy Biddle is a reporter for the school newspaper The Core who is looking for the truth. While the old adage truth will out seem appropriate, Hildy's questions make a great number of people nervous. When The Core staff gets a new faculty advisor they begin to investigate; only to be silenced by school administration and forced to suspend publication of their newspaper. Determined, Hildy and her friends start and underground newspaper and move forward to uncover a conspiracy that threatens the very life blood of Banesville, apple farms.

Hildy is a classic Joan Bauer heroine, full of life and purpose and surrounded by a cast of engaging characters. No one here is perfect, that's what makes the story ring true; subtle shades of gray surrounding good and bad. Fans of Bauer's previous novels, me included, have another treat in store for them, and Peeled should bring a few more fans to the table.

Tags: Peeled, Joan Bauer, Juvenile fiction, YA fiction

My Most Excellent Year

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger is at heart a creative writing/journaling project by three quirky teenage narrators. High school juniors, avid Red Sox fan TC and charismatic Augie, have been best friends, brothers in every way but by blood, since the death of TC's mom when he was six years old. Their extended family includes TC's dad who is starting to date and Augie's parents. The third member of this unlikely trio is Alejandra, also known as Ale, privileged daughter of an ambassador whose best friend is her secret service agent Clint. Their English assignment is to journal their most excellent year. What keeps this book from being an average diary entry novel is the variety of mixed media entries; IM, journal entries, letters, email, and text messages are the backbone of the novel.

TC writes to his mother, Augie writes to Broadway stars Liza Minelli and Julie Andrews, and Ale addresses much of her journal to Jacqueline Kennedy. Not to be left out, TC's dad and the school guidance counselor text and email, Augie's dad and TC's dad exchange email, and pithy theater reviews from Augie's mother are included. As the novel progresses requisite obstacles are met and overcome with sometimes hilarious and often touching results. Though at times it seems too good to be true, TC and his dad adopting young orphan Hucky and their whirl-wind visit to New York city, good characterization keeps it from becoming sappy. This is a well paced, enjoyable, and charming, character driven coming-of-age novel.

Tags: My Most Excellent Year, Steve Kluger, Young adult fiction, Juvenile fiction

Greetings from Nowhere

Agnes Duncan’s heart- wrenching decision to sell the Sleepy Time Motel is the impetus for change in Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor. The recent passing of her beloved husband, coupled with mounting bills, constant repairs, and a lack of customers, forces Aggie to list her home and small hotel in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina for sale. Aggie’s advertisement is read by Clyde Dover, a father looking for a fresh start with his daughter Willow, who soon purchases the hotel. The Dover family’s pending arrival is preceded by the first real customer’s the Sleepy Time Motel has had in a long time. Loretta Murphy and her family arrive on a family vacation retracing steps in a keepsake box her birth mother has bequeathed. Kirby Tanner is on his way to the disciplined Smokey Mountains Boy’s Academy with his mother when their car breaks down near the Motel. Aggie, Willow, Loretta, and Kirby are each struggling with changes wrought in their lives, looking for answers to life questions and trying to understand where to go from here. What they find is friendship and understanding from an unlikely source, each other.

I enjoyed reading this book; characters are believable, maturation of the characters within the story was well concieved, and the author resisted the temptation for a standard happily-ever-after. Readers will enjoy the story's journey as well as it's realistic conclusion. For more information, see the author's blog: Greetings from Nowhere and website. When I viewed it (several weeks ago), Greetings from Nowhere was not included, however there are Teacher and Discussion Guides.

Update: 5/2/08

Thanks to the comment from Barbara O'Connor, I am updating the above information to include a link to the new teachers guide for Grettings from Nowhere. Also on the site, along with reviews and a book synopsis, is a book trailer. Cool.

Tags: Greetings from Nowhere, Barbara O'Connor, Juvenile fiction

LaRue for Mayor

In LaRue for Mayor: Letters from the Campaign Trail, by author and illustrator Mark Teague, the lovable, crafty, misunderstood pup Ike LaRue returns for another letter writing crusade; and this time takes his "campaign" to the office of mayor. An afternoon in the park with a few friends and his owner results in an unfortunate accident sending Mrs. LaRue to the hospital ("Who knew that hot-dog carts were so unstable?"). Left to his own devices Ike forms a social club, befriending his rambunctious new mates, that soon runs amok. When former police chief Bugwort announces his candidacy for mayor and declares dogs in the city must be kept under control or banned from the city, Ike decides he has had enough and is soon running his own campaign for mayor.

Teague's trademark LaRue illustrations, bold, eye-catching color for reality juxtaposed with black and white renditions of LaRue's interpretation of the same and accompanying typed letters, fill each double page spread. Ike's typed letters overflow with snappy repartee, reporting to Mrs. LaRue what is happening during her period of recuperation and assuring her "Nothing will distract me from this important cause." Readers may guess where this installment will end, but following the campaign trail is definitely worth their time.

Tags: LaRue for Mayor, Mark Teague, Juvenile fiction, Picture books