Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2005
ISBN: 9780689873409
ISBN-10: 0689873409

Willa’s widowed mother is a successful wedding planner for the rich and famous, yet she has no need for romance. After years of moving from place to place, Willa hopes they will settle for good in Bramble on Cape Cod where her Nana lives. Perhaps the handsome widower next door will be enough of a reason to stay, if she can convince her mother to give love another chance. Funny and heartwarming.

First Chapter  Table of Contents  

Publisher: HarperTrophy
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/2006
ISBN: 9780060000141
ISBN-10: 0060000147

Poppy, a mouse, must return home when her father falls ill and her ancestral home is threatened with destruction. She is joined by her unwilling and uncooperative misfit son, his best friend -- a skunk -- and her lifelong friend, a curmudgeonly old porcupine. From family misunderstandings, mistrust, and misapprehension comes a new realization of the strong and unbreakable bonds of family love so eloquently detailed in this animal tale, just one in a series of stories about Poppy.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/7/2004
ISBN: 9780525473473
ISBN-10: 0525473475

One of my favorite authors, Ibbotson always gathers a cast of unique individuals and sets them in memorable locales which come complete with personalities as well. In this Victorian orphan adventure, Annika, a foundling raised by two very loving servants in the Viennese home of three odd professors, befriends an elderly neighbor who bequeaths, unbeknownst to Annika, her trunk of jewels. Soon after, a woman appears claiming to be her long lost mother who whisks her away to live in a falling down old gloomy estate. Do you smell something foul?

Publisher: Dutton Children's Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/17/2006
ISBN: 9780525477198
ISBN-10: 0525477195

Another decrepit home, this time a crumbling castle, is at the center of The Beasts of Clawstone, Great Aunt and Uncle Clawstone are in dire need of funds -- not to fix the castle but to protect and care for the legendary rare Wild White cattle of Clawstone. Madlyn and brother Rollo decide that what they need to ensure a steady stream of paying tourists is to hire a crew of frightening ghosts-one bloody bride, a skeleton taxi driver, a sawed in half circus girl, a pirate with a rat that gnaws at his heart and a pair of dancing Scottish feet. Then the cattle disappear -- can ghosts be heroes? Never a dull or predictable moment.

Publisher: Wea Corp
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/25/2007
UPC: 00014431093524

You may have already heard their song "Less talk more rokk" from the Playstation2 game Guitar Hero II. This album is fantastic and is by far my favorite album of the year. The album is full of fun snappy songs one right after another. Other than "Less talk more rokk," my other favorite song is "Frontload." The library also has two of their other albums Fancy ultra-fresh and Freezepop Forever. Check out the song "Science genius girl." This is the only song I know of the quotes the number pi!

Publisher: Wea Corp
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/27/2005
UPC: 00014431082825

This is my second favorite band of the year! I love electronica rock music and Ladytron is the epitome of that. They use vintage keyboards to create their sound. “Destroy everything you touch” is a really great song. You’ll enjoy the beats and wish for more! The library also owns Light and Magic one of their earlier albums. And they are currently recording a new album which I will have to watch out for!

Publisher: Koch Entertainment
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2007
UPC: 00741952312291

This is a documentary about the Golden Gate Bridge and the fact that suicide by jumping is not a rare occurrence. With beautiful photography the bridge comes alive while people contemplate taking theirs. The photographers documented the year of 2004 filming continuously day and night. They follow the stories of some of the people who took their lives. They also talk with a survivor who jumped in 2000, who knew he had made a mistake as soon as his hands left the railing. They also filmed one person dragging another back to safety. This is a sad but interesting film that gives a glimpse into the lives of those that are now gone. This film is not for the faint of heart.

Publisher: Roc
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/1/2003
ISBN: 9780451459527
ISBN-10: 0451459520

The Weather Warden series is one of my all time favorite fantasy series. It combines a little science and lot of fantasy. Joanne Baldwin is a weather warden. She is just one of many who try to control the weather to prevent disaster and keep the balance. In book one she is accused of killing her boss, so the other weather wardens are out to get her. And to top that off, she has been possessed by something dark and bad. What’s a girl to do? How about take a cross country road trip in a classic mustang to try to stop the evil?

Publisher: Ace Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/29/2005
ISBN: 9780441013555
ISBN-10: 0441013554

Don’t let the title or cover fool you! It turns out she’s not a princess. There will be no ponies, rainbows, fancy clothes or jewels. She is on a trek to find the real princess so the rightful person can take the thrown after her adoptive parents are brutally murdered in front of her. Then she finds out that she has been in training since adoption to be a player, one who helps shape the political decisions of the kingdom. And magic exists and she is one of the few who can weald it. This book is followed up by Princess at sea. When the second book is over you will want more, but I have to break it to you, book 2 is the end. So enjoy these books while you can and when they are over, read them again. Dawn Cook currently writes under the name Kim Harrison.

Publisher: M. Cavendish Children
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/1/2007
ISBN: 9780761453437
ISBN-10: 0761453431

A southwest twist on a folktale favorite is one of my top picks for this month. In this retelling, three billy goats aren’t allowed across the Rio Grande bridge because of the legendary beast, el Chupacabra (the goat-sucker)! This fun and not-so-scary picture book is a great and fun read-aloud.

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/1/2002
ISBN: 9780439199964
ISBN-10: 0439199964

I found this book several years ago in a bookstore, and as a picture book for children, it answered three very hard questions in a simple manner. Nikolai is a young boy who often asks himself three questions: “When is the best time to do things?” “Who is the most important one?” and “What is the right thing to do?” He asks several of his animal friends but he is not satisfied with their answers so he travels to ask Leo, the wise turtle. As events unravel Nikolai discovers that he had the answers to the three questions all along.

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/17/2005
ISBN: 9780689865244
ISBN-10: 0689865244

The story centers on a tadpole and butterfly that fall in love at the edge of a pond. The tadpole promises not to change, and of course, breaks his promise, not once but three times. Not your average love story, but I love this story as a read aloud to school age kids because of the surprise ending. Be forewarned, it’s a somewhat tragic ending for the butterfly.

Publisher: Lectorum Pubns
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2002
ISBN: 9788484700852
ISBN-10: 8484700852

This is a very funny and entertaining picture book about a very arrogant wolf who thinks he is the strongest animal in the forest. As he stumbles across other characters in the forest, such as Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs, they of course do not dare to disagree that he is the biggest and meanest wolf in the forest. However, he is soon humbled by a little lizard who teaches him an important lesson in life – there is always someone bigger and tougher right around the corner! This book is only available in Spanish. If you liked this book, check out Soy el mas guapo by the same author.

Publisher: Sterling
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2006
ISBN: 9780600615903
ISBN-10: 0600615901

A super fun book filled with age appropriate crafts for all occasions. The cool thing about this book is that all different types of crafts are included. You have the choice to create decorative, wearable, yummy, or scented crafts. I have yet to try any of these crafts, but I am setting it aside for future use with programs at Milpitas Library. Potential favorites are a decorative penguin, sweetheart photo frame, and valentine cards.

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/2/2007
ISBN: 9780312359317
ISBN-10: 0312359314

Adam Chase returns home to North Carolina to help a friend, despite being hated by the town because of being acquitted for murder. Intricately plotted and full of emotion, this is both an excellent novel and mystery. Who will stand by Adam when he is accused again? Certainly not his stepmother, but what about his father, his lover, and his old friends? And if Adam is innocent, who is lying and why? A classic mystery made exceptional by its literary style.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/7/2007
ISBN: 9780345494993
ISBN-10: 0345494997

A moving work of historical fiction about Mamah Cheney, the woman most known for her affair with architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The two met in Oak Park, Illinois when Mr. Cheney hired Wright to build a house for his family. This is a story of a woman who made choices for love and personal growth, sacrificing her family and reputation. I think this would be a fine book group selection.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Warner Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/23/2007
ISBN: 9780446578769
ISBN-10: 0446578762

Four women, friends since high school, go on a cruise vacation on a private charter. The jaunt is funded by newly widowed, Olivia, the local girl turned rich countess who has been living in Italy. Through a series of events, the vacation turns into a tropoical, high-seas tale of survival. The character of each woman is revealed, bit by bit, during the struggle to stay alive.

First Chapter  

Publisher: Warner Home Video
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/11/2006
UPC: 00794051267627

This is a superb BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's book about love and marriage in 19th century England. Poor, gentle Molly adores her widowed father. He decides that Molly needs a mother so he remarries, selecting a woman who will eventually disappoint Molly and himself. If you love Pride and Prejudice, give this a try.

Publisher: Kids Can Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/1/2006
ISBN: 9781553379591
ISBN-10: 1553379594

I loved this analytical little creature who somehow manages to move himself forward despite all his jittery fears. I especially enjoyed this book because I read it with my friend Emily, someone who also appreciates a good picture book!

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/9/2007
ISBN: 9780618631544
ISBN-10: 0618631542

I loved this analytical little creature who somehow manages to move himself forward despite all his jittery fears. I especially enjoyed this book because I read it with my friend Emily, someone who also appreciates a good picture book!

Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2/16/2006
ISBN: 9780670034710
ISBN-10: 0670034711

When I saw this author in an interview I was intrigued, and further intrigued by the title of her book which seemed to convey a summary of life with a simple wisdom. This book is next up on my stack of books waiting to be read. I am looking forward to this one!

First Chapter  

Publisher: Paramount Home Entertainment
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/20/2007
UPC: 00097368862647

I enjoyed this short lived TV series before it was yanked off the air, and now I am catching up on all those missed episodes. I always liked the bits of wisdom sprinkled into the storylines and the thought provoking nature of this show. I was glad to find both season one and season two in the library collection.

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/5/2005
ISBN: 9780316114882
ISBN-10: 031611488X

Who knew you could make something of nothing by merely wrapping it up, actually it’s not exactly something, it’s still nothing . . . but when nothing is a gift from Mooch to Earl it seems like something special!