Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Books for ages 8 to 12

It's time to start looking for some holiday gift books. For young readers, age 8 and older, I'm happy to recommend these.

Sadly, it's rare that a children's book has a strong, loving father in it. The good news is that the first two books I list here have such a character, and in both stories the father and daughter have a wonderful relationship.

"The Leanin' Dog" by K.A. Nuzum takes place in 1930s Colorado, according to the publisher, but it's actually timeless. Dessa Dean, age 11, has nightmares and "daymares" since her mother died just months ago in the freezing cold winter forest. Now Christmas is coming, Christmas without her mother. Her father is a trapper, and while he's out checking his traps, she stays in the cabin all day, studying words and numbers and getting supper ready for him. "Reading was my comfort, for it took me far, far away from the things that frightened me," says Dessa. The little girl is very lonely, and her father is a kind and understanding man. The two are patient with each other, as when she says, "I stuck a bit of turnip in my own mouth and just chewed for a minute to give Daddy time to put out some words if he wanted." One day a fudge-brown dog scratches at the door of their house, and Dessa coaxes the dog inside. But the frightened dog won't let the door be shut. He's afraid of being closed in, and she's afraid to go outside. Eventually, the dog with a wounded leg and the girl with a wounded spirit find friendship. The author creates a definite sense of place, and I really liked the characters of the father, the girl and the dog. Not everything rang true for me, and parts may be too frightening for the youngest children, but I found the book heart-warming and enjoyable. From HarperCollins.

"Alena and the Favorite Thing" by Eric B. Anderson has wonderful, brightly colored illustrations by Jakub Kuzma. On a "gloomy, doomy, icky-awful, rainy, yucky, gray and puddly, no-good low down day," Alena is bored and wants something to do. So she and her father set out to find his favorite thing in life by going through a list of her favorite things. Athena's Poppa is warm and nurturing, and the two have fun together in the imaginative story. It's very nicely done. From Ohio publisher Edgecliff Press.

"Zen Ties" by Jon J. Muth is a follow-up to his wonderful, beautiful, Caldecott Honor best-seller, "Zen Shorts." In simple language and bright watercolors, Muth continues our acquaintance with the wise and gentle giant panda, Stillwater. In this one, the panda's young nephew comes to visit, and he, Stillwater and their three human children friends try to help an elderly neighbor. The children are afraid of her, but Stillwater leads them past their fear, and the neighbor helps one of the boys study for his spelling bee. A little wordplay comes along with the nephew, Koo, who speaks in clever haiku ("Hi, Koo!"), though not always adhering to the 5-7-5 syllable rule: "Tea was very good/ my cup holds emptiness now/ where shall I put it?" There are many plays on words, including the title, which applies to the lessons learned as well as to the red neckties everyone wears. As in "Zen Shorts," Stillwater's precepts are universal Zen and, as with the first book, I just love it. From Scholastic Press.

You may be familiar with the Max and Annie books by Ohio author Sandra J. Philipson. Philipson's "Forever Home" is filled with colorful cartoon-type illustrations by Jenny Campbell. This chapter book about popular canines Max, Annie and Tak introduces their new friend, Trini, the three-legged dog Philipson adopted after Annie's death. The book goes from heart-breaking to cheerful as it deals with death, abandonment, sadness and the finding of joy again. The author gives the reader the dual storylines of (1) Trini's first year in West Virginia and (2) the other dogs living at home in Chagrin Falls, where the author really lives with her family of people and pups. Philipson deals very gently with Trini's loss of her first owner, and with the illness and death of Annie. As a person who was once owned by a three-legged cat, I fell in love with Trini the dog, along with all the others. It's a moving, memorable story, and I highly recommend it. There are also photos of the family at the back of the book, along with vocabulary words, projects, resource information and biographies of the dogs. Find out more at www.maxandannie.com. From Cleveland Clinic Press.

I absolutely love Chris Riddell's "Ottoline and the Yellow Cat," which is, reportedly, the first of three "quirky adventures." Ottoline Brown, whose parents travel constantly, and her best friend, Mr. Munroe of Norway, who is basically a bundle of hair, solve a mystery. Ottoline has a diploma in "Disguise" from the Who-R-U Academy of Subterfuge. The chapter book is clever, yet subtle, and its story reminds me of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Both the story and the pictures provide entertaining fun, even after multiple readings. The pen and ink illustrations with occasional red accents have a lot of detail and are at times almost Dr. Seussian. On a few pages with no words, the illustrations carry the story along. Riddell uses the pictures as maps, diagrams, newsletters and advertisements, and there are tiny elements of interest in the art " even in the stamps on Ottoline's collection of postcards. From HarperCollins.

For book news and more, go to www.recordpub.com and visit my blog, "Shine A Light," or click on "Lifetimes" and look for "One for the Books" online.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

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Check out my new blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It's called "Shine A Light!"

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, look for the blogs on the home page
of www.recordpub.com, about halfway down, on the right side.

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LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

November 3: City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt
December 1: Manhunt by James Swanson

Pierce-Streetsboro Library's Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library's meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458. Here is the schedule of meeting dates and books to be discussed:

Nov. 10: Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury (fiction)
Dec. 8: Where Angels Go by Debbie Macomber (fiction)
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The Friends of Pierce-Streetsboro Library will host a book sale from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 14 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 15 in the meeting room of the Pierce-Streetsboro Branch of the Portage County District Library, 8990 Kirby Lane.

A special preview sale for Friends members will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 13.

The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane. For more information, call Ellen Poole at 330-626-3749.
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Al Roker announced his latest and final pick of 2008 on the Today Show Book Club for Kids, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. DiCamillo's live interview to discuss the book on the Today Show is tentatively scheduled for Friday, December 12.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/27295462

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Photo contest under way.

National Geographic has published a book of 155 images by 82 world-renowned photographers. Titled Visions of Paradise, its photos are divided into three themes " land, water and air.

Now, National Geographic invites the general public to submit images that best represent their unique vision of heaven on Earth to the Visions of Paradise Photography Contest, now through Dec. 21. Each week 20 Editor's Picks will be selected from all qualified entries and posted on the site, where viewers can vote on their favorites. At the end of the submission process, Editor's Picks will also be judged by an expert panel of photographers and art directors, who will select a final list of 20 official winners. The winning photographs will be posted on the site and each winner will receive a customized copy of Visions of Paradise with their winning photograph as the cover image.

To enter and for complete official rules, visit http://www.nationalgeographic.com/myvision.

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The National Catholic Reporter has a new book review on its site:

"Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire" by Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/2369

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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS, By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Extreme Measures" by Vince Flynn (Atria)
2. "The Brass Verdict" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
3. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
4. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
5. "Bones" by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine)
6. "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire (William Morrow)
7. "Rough Weather" by Robert B. Parker (Putnam)
8. "Testimony" by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown)
9. "A Most Wanted Man" by John Le Carre (Scribner)
10. "One Fifth Avenue" by Candace Bushnell (Voice)
11. "Dark Summer" by Iris Johansen (St. Martin's Press)
12. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
13. "Star Wars: Millennium Falcon" by James Luceno (Del Rey)
14. "The Other Queen" by Philippa Gregory (Touchstone)
15. "Heat Lightning" by John Sandford (Putnam Adult)

NONFICTION/GENERAL
1. "Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery" by James Patterson, Hal Friedman, Cory Friedman (Little, Brown)
2. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
3. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron, Brett Witter (Grand Central)
4. "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" by Alice Schroeder (Bantam)
5. "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking)
6. "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)
7. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
8. "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" by Maureen McCormick (William Morrow)
9. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
10. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan)
11. "The Longest Trip Home" by John Grogan (Morrow)
12. "Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites" by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter)
13. "Letter to My Daughter" by Maya Angelou (Random House)
14. "Martha Stewarts Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook" by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter)
15. "Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy, and Whole" by Victoria Osteen (Free Press)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
2. "Double Cross" by James Patterson (Vision)
3. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
4. "Duma Key" by Stephen King (Pocket)
5. "Nights in Rodanthe" by Nicholas Sparks (Warner Vision)
6. "Quicksand" by Iris Johansen (St. Martin's Paperbacks)
7. "Dark of the Moon" by John Sandford (Berkley)
8. "Living Dead in Dallas" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
9. "First Impressions" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette)
10. "The Lost Tomb" by David Gibbins (Dell)
11. "Dead to the World" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
12. "Club Dead" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
13. "Amazing Grace" by Danielle Steel (Dell)
14. "Book of the Dead" by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley)
15. "Take No Prisoners" by Cindy Gerard (Pocket)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
2. "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin)
3. "The Love Dare" by Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick (B&H)
4. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
5. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers)
6. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers)
7. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin)
8. "World Without End" by Ken Follett (NAL)
9. "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group)
10. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage)
11. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog " by John Grogan (Harper)
12. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
13. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Daz by (Riverhead)
14. "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Dan Piper and Cecil Murphey (Fleming H. Revell)
15. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)

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Best-sellers-Books-Wall Street Journal, By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. "Extreme Measures" by Vince Flynn (Atria)
2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown)
3. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown)
4. "The Brass Verdict" by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
5. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
6. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)
7. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
8. "Bones" by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine)
9. "The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel" by David Wroblewski (HarperCollins)
10. "Rough Weather" by Robert B. Parker (Putnam)
11. "Testimony" by Anita Shreve (Little, Brown)
12. "A Lion Among Men" by Gregory Maguire (William Morrow)
13. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)
14. "One Fifth Avenue" by Candace Bushnell (Voice)
15. "A Most Wanted Man" by John Le Carre (Scribner)

NONFICTION
1. "Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery" by James Patterson, Hal Friedman, Cory Friedman (Little, Brown)
2. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron, Brett Witter (Grand Central)
3. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
4. "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking)
5. "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" by Alice Schroeder (Bantam)
6. "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)
7. "Surrender All: Your Answer to Living with Peace, Power, and Purpose" by Joni Lamb (WaterBrook Press)
8. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
9. "StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
10. "Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice" by Maureen McCormick (William Morrow)
11. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan)
12. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria/Beyond Word)
13. "Letter to My Daughter" by Maya Angelou (Random House)
14. "The Longest Trip Home" by John Grogan (Morrow)
15. "Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook" by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter)

The Wall Street Journal's list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano's, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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from Shelf Awareness: New Titles Out November 4:

Divine Justice by David Baldacci
Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah
Recipes for the Good Life by Patti LaBelle, Judith Choate and Karen Hunter
Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
The Purpose of Christmas by Rick Warren
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys by David Foster

Now in paperback:

Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli and J.K. Rowling
Paula Deen's Kitchen Wisdom and Recipe Journal by Paula Deen and Sherry Suib Cohen
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from Publishers Weekly -- New books:
[c] = children's titles

November 3

[c] The It Girl #7: Infamous by Cecily von Ziegesar
Giants: The Parallel Lives of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln by John Stauffer

November 4

Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book: Her Biggest Ever Collection of All-New 30-Minute Meals Plus Kosher Meals, Meals for One, Veggie Dinners, Holiday Favorites, and Much More! by Rachael Ray
Divine Justice by David Baldacci
Salvation in Death by J.D. Robb
Paula Deen's Kitchen Wisdom and Recipe Journal by Paula Deen
Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah
Born Country: My Life in Alabama: How Faith, Family, and Music Brought Me Home by Randy Owen
[c] Fancy Nancy: Let's Get Fancy Together! by Jane O'Connor, illus. by Robin Preiss Glasser Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
My Word is My Bond by Sir Roger Moore
[c] Peter Pan: A Classic Collectible Pop-Up by Robert Sabuda
[c] Ranger's Apprentice, Book Five: The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan
Oneness with All Life by Eckhart Tolle
Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra
Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys by David Foster
Hollywood Foto-Rhetoric: The Lost Manuscript by Bob Dylan and Barry Feinstein
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H. W. Brands
Jesus is My All in All: Praying with the "Saint of Calcutta" by Mother Teresa
The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever by Frank Gifford
Recipes for the Good Life by Patti LaBelle

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The following authors are making the media rounds, talking about their books:

--Dr. Nicholas Dodman, author of The Well-Adjusted Dog
--Matthew Van Fleet, author of Alphabet
--Kerwin Swint, author of Mudslingers: The Twenty-Five Dirtiest Political Campaigns of All Time
--David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
--Scott McClellan, author of What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception
--Jena Pincott, Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? Bodies, Behavior, and Brains--The Science Behind Sex, Love, and Attraction
--Rabbi David J. Wolpe, Why Faith Matters
--Bill Santiago, author of Pardon My Spanglish: One Man's Guide to Speaking the Habla
--Patrick Henry Hughes and his father, Patrick John Hughes, authors of I Am Potential: Eight Lessons for Living, Loving, and Reaching Your Dreams
--Brenda Wineapple, author of White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson
--Jeff Henderson, author of Chef Jeff Cooks: In the Kitchen with America's Inspirational New Culinary Star
--Bill O'Reilly, author of A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
--James Patterson, author of Against Medical Advice: One Family's Struggle with an Agonizing Medical Mystery
--Irene Pepperberg, author of Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
--Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Influence
--Maureen McCormick, author of Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice
--Liz Vaccariello, author of Flat Belly Diet
--Jay McGraw, author of Jay McGraw's Life Strategies for Dealing with Bullies
--Steve Martin, author of Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
--Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
--Toni Morrison, A Mercy
--Wynton Marsalis, Moving To Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life
--John Adams, author of Hallelujah Junction: Composing an American Life
--Michael Greenberg, author of Hurry Down Sunshine
--Cherie Blair, Speaking for Myself: My Life from Liverpool to Downing Street
--Stephen Baker, The Numerati
--Guy Fieri, author of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes
--Jacques Pepin, author of Jacques Pepin More Fast Food My Way
--Alec Baldwin, author of A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce
--Tom Nardone, Extreme Pumpkins II: Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors
--David Macaulay, The Way We Work
--John Updike, The Widows of Eastwick
--Tony Curtis, author of American Prince: A Memoir
--Madeleine Albright, author of Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership
--Karin Slaughter, author of Fractured
--Annabel Karmel, author of The Fussy Eaters' Recipe Book: 135 Quick, Tasty and Healthy Recipes That Your Kids Will Actually Eat
--Francine Prose, author of Goldengrove
--Michelle Dresbold, author of Sex, Lies, and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting
--Marlo Thomas, Free to Be...You and Me
--Dr. Richard Fortey, Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
--Betty Fussell, Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef
--Anne Mendelson, Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages
--Arthur Laffer, Stephen Moore and Peter Tanous, authors of The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen
--Rich Eisen, Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe
--Elisa Strauss, author of Confetti Cakes For Kids: Delightful Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery
--Tom Brokaw, author of Boom!: Talking About the Sixties: What Happened, How It Shaped Today, Lessons for Tomorrow
--David Foster, author of Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys
--Adam W. Shepard, author of Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream
--Alan Zweibel, author of Clothing Optional: And Other Ways to Read These Stories
--Liza Mundy, author of Michelle
--Amy Chua, author of World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability
--Maya Angelou, author of Letter to My Daughter
--Lee Woodruff, Breathing the Fire
--David Carr, author of The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life--His Own
--Bill Murphy, Jr., author of In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point Class of 2002
--Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
--Annabel Karmel, The Fussy Eaters' Recipe Book: 135 Quick, Tasty and Healthy Recipes that Your Kids Will Actually Eat
--Susan Squire, I Don't: A Contrarian History of Marriage
--Thomas Friedman, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America

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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns:

More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

Politics Left and Right -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4451553

Recent Jewish Nonfiction -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4442453

Animal Companions -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4433390

Queens, First and Last -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4381292

About Jane (Austen) -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3688662

Irish Fiction -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3614762

The Amish -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3142161

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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you'd like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.