Confetti Girl

Confetti Girl, by Diana Lopez
(Grades 4 - 7)

I often judge a book by its cover. I picked this book up because it has my favorite pair of socks on the cover. I don't wear them anymore because they have holes in both toes, but I just can't get rid of them either. Confetti Girl star Lina would understand this. She is a sock fanatic. She has socks for every occasion and mood, and as a middle-school girl Lina has many moods. To make matters more complicated than being a middle-school girl, she's recently lost her mother and just can't connect to her father, a book-obsessed English teacher who doesn't understand her love of Science. Her best friend Vanessa is ditching her for a boy, and she really, really likes Luis, but how does he feel about her?

This charming coming-of-age story celebrates the similarities and differences in us all with honesty and humor.

To find this book and others please visit www.newberglibrary.org.

Reviewed by Korie B., Children's Services staff

A Picture for Marc

A Picture for Marc, by Eric A. Kimmel
(Grades 2-4)

It's Russia in the 1800's and young Marc doesn't like school, but he does like making shapes in geometry. When Marc's friend Victor shows him how to "draw" by tracing pictures in magazines, Marc sees his world with new eyes and soon he is creating images on his own. Marc knows he is destined to be an artist, but convincing his parents he is cut out for more than working in the herring factory will take a miracle.

Based loosely on the early life of artist Marc Chagall, this story will enlighten readers about the challenges this famous artist faced before becoming a famous artist.

This book is a Beverly Cleary Children's Choice Award nominee for 2010. Find this book and others at www.newberglibrary.org.

Reviewed by Korie B., Children's Services staff

The Missing: Sent

The Missing: Book 2 Sent, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
(Grades 4 - 7)

The sequel to Found has arrived and it's even more of a break-neck adventure than the first in the series! Thirteen-year-old Jonah and his sister Katherine are sent to fifteenth century England with their friends Chip and Alex to find that Chip is the current King of England, and in imminent danger (along with his brother, Alex) from Richard of Gloucester who wants the crown for himself. Jonah and Katherine must fix "time" and save their friends. Can they do both and keep themselves alive? This brilliant blend of historical and science fiction will both engage and educate readers.

Find these and other excellent reads by Margaret Peterson Haddix at www.newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Korie B., Children's Services Staff

Stop Pop by Yukiko Kido

Stop Pop by Yukiko Kido
(Preschool - Grade 1)

The Children's Staff at Newberg Public Library is thrilled to introduce the new Flip-A-Word series to our reader collection. This colorful series is a fabulous introduction to word families for emerging readers. The bold illustrations give word clues and immediately draw young readers inside the pages. In Stop Pop, three word families are introduced: the 'op' family, the 'un' family and the 'an' family. The words in each family rhyme, and once one knows how to read 'un,' it's easier to read bun, run, fun and so on. Die cuts on every other page are great fun, but they also serve a wonderful purpose in illustrating how easily a word can change just by flipping the page to a new first letter. The book concludes with simple phrases and a comprehensive list of the word families introduced. Look for many more Flip-A-Word books on the Emerging Reader shelves under illustrator Kido, Yukiko.

To find this book at our library, visit newberglibrary.org

Reviewed by Amanda L., Children's Staff