(4) YA Issues on Trial series. This series compiles primary and secondary source documents (court decisions and dissenting opinions, journal articles, etc.) to examine opposing sides of issues. Especially relevant to today's teens are the sections on copyright and the Internet in Intellectual. Case overviews and introductions aid understanding, but the legal jargon is tough to slog through. White-Collar includes websites. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Issues on Trial titles: Intellectual Property Rights and White-Collar Crime.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Issues on Trial series. This series compiles primary and secondary source documents (court decisions and dissenting opinions, journal articles, etc.) to examine opposing sides of issues. Especially relevant to today's teens are the sections on copyright and the Internet in Intellectual. Case overviews and introductions aid understanding, but the legal jargon is tough to slog through. White-Collar includes websites. Reading list. Ind. Review covers these Issues on Trial titles: Intellectual Property Rights and White-Collar Crime.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) YA Abisina, already outcast for her dark complexion and missing father, flees for her life when a visiting leader stirs up long-standing prejudices in her village. Allied with a dwarf, she journeys across a dangerous centaur-filled countryside in search of the mythic Watersmeet, where she hopes to find her father. Abbott explores difference, fear, and forgiveness in a richly developed fantasy world.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Wanting to be part of the in-crowd, Jamie (a.k.a. Jamilah) hides her Lebanese Muslim heritage behind bleached-blond hair and blue contacts. When her Arabic-music band is invited to play at a school dance, she fears her secret will come out. Themes of identity and self-image will resonate with teen readers, though the delivery is, at times, heavy-handed.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Authors Teens Love series. This biography tells about the life and amazing publishing success of Stephenie Meyer. That the love story between human Bella and vampire Edward came to Meyer in a dream will not be new information to her die-hard fans, and the text may be too bland for casual readers. Some photographs and pull-quotes help break up the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Authors Teens Love series. These biographies tell about the lives and works of popular authors. The main texts are generally bland; however, the appended short interviews or collections of quotes do shed some light on the minds of those who make a living at their craft and will perhaps inspire would-be teen writers. Some photographs and pull-quotes help break up the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Authors Teens Love titles: Amy Tan, Lois Duncan, Isaac Asimov, and Vivian Vande Velde.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) YA An unlikely trio of children is thrown together during the final hours of the Civil War. Eleven-year-old fugitive slave Luke becomes the leader, guiding nine-year-old freed slave Daylily and seven-year-old Caswell (son of a plantation owner) on their difficult journey north. Told from each child's perspective, the story captures the fears and dangers faced by young people caught in an adult war.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. A devious TV host and his cronies kidnap Paul and his grandfather. They want to use Grampa Peter's knowledge of Abenaki lore to lead them to Pmola, the legendary (and dangerous) winged creature of the White Mountains. With a sure hand, Bruchac layers fast-paced adventure with modern Native American culture.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Authors Teens Love series. These biographies tell about the lives and works of popular authors. The main texts are generally bland; however, the appended short interviews or collections of quotes do shed some light on the minds of those who make a living at their craft and will perhaps inspire would-be teen writers. Some photographs and pull-quotes help break up the pages. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Authors Teens Love titles: Amy Tan, Lois Duncan, Isaac Asimov, and Vivian Vande Velde.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Orca Soundings series. When Sean is held up during his shift at Burger Heaven, he's not scared; danger gives him a rush. After engaging in his own risky behavior without getting caught, Sean becomes introspective, discovering that the root of his actions is the still painful loss of his grandfather--a daredevil himself. Though the story's revelations are slight, its unique premise may engage readers.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) YA Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Emma is only five years old when she witnesses her mother's murder during the Rwandan genocide. In this poignant story of loss and courage, Emma faces haunting memories while struggling to obey her mother's last wish: "Tell yourself...that everything will soon be over. You must not die, Emma." An appended author's note gives further context.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) 4-6 Pairing heavily crosshatched black-and-white drawings with spare text, Decker portrays a turning-point event in the American Revolution: the skirmish between colonists and soldiers that led to the Boston Massacre. This historical picture book for intermediate-level readers will definitely hold their attention, but the action can be frustratingly difficult to follow.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) 4-6 Silver Valley disappears when the magical conch is stolen. To retrieve it, Anand and Nisha (The Conch Bearer, The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming) travel to a place where the air is brown and people breathe through masks. There, they discover how to save their own world. Some plot points are too conveniently resolved in this trilogy ender.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 World's Biggest series. Large photographs (some out of focus) and statistics about size and speed dominate each spread, which superficially highlights one kind of vehicle or coaster. The images best capture the drama when shown in context or alongside people for scale. Vehicle lovers will enjoy learning specific names such as the Caterpillar 797B dump truck and the Airbus Beluga. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these World's Biggest titles: Freaky-Big Airplanes, Heart-Stopping Roller Coasters, Huge Earthmovers, and Titanic Trucks.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 World's Biggest series. Large photographs (some out of focus) and statistics about size and speed dominate each spread, which superficially highlights one kind of vehicle or coaster. The images best capture the drama when shown in context or alongside people for scale. Vehicle lovers will enjoy learning specific names such as the Caterpillar 797B dump truck and the Airbus Beluga. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these World's Biggest titles: Freaky-Big Airplanes, Heart-Stopping Roller Coasters, Huge Earthmovers, and Titanic Trucks.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 World's Biggest series. Large photographs (some out of focus) and statistics about size and speed dominate each spread, which superficially highlights one kind of vehicle or coaster. The images best capture the drama when shown in context or alongside people for scale. Vehicle lovers will enjoy learning specific names such as the Caterpillar 797B dump truck and the Airbus Beluga. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these World's Biggest titles: Freaky-Big Airplanes, Heart-Stopping Roller Coasters, Huge Earthmovers, and Titanic Trucks.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) K-3 World's Biggest series. Large photographs (some out of focus) and statistics about size and speed dominate each spread, which superficially highlights one kind of vehicle or coaster. The images best capture the drama when shown in context or alongside people for scale. Vehicle lovers will enjoy learning specific names such as the Caterpillar 797B dump truck and the Airbus Beluga. Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these World's Biggest titles: Freaky-Big Airplanes, Heart-Stopping Roller Coasters, Huge Earthmovers, and Titanic Trucks.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(3) YA When the 1918 flu epidemic hits Texas, sixteen-year-old Mercy finds herself working for a widowed neighbor. Though she has always yearned for independence, Mercy begins to wonder if family is what she has wanted all along. Mercy's strength when faced with adversity casts her as an admirable character, and the small-town Texas setting is well envisioned.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) YA Despite having a model's figure and a hottie boyfriend, Terra's large port-wine-stain birthmark and her verbally abusive father cause her constant insecurity. After meeting Jacob, a Chinese American goth guy, everything changes. With their mothers, they travel to China, each returning with a new sense of identity and self-worth. Terra's journey is engaging, but overdone symbolism may distract readers from it.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett

(4) 4-6 In 1870s Poland, Leo must flee his home after an altercation with a local aristocrat. Later, Leo befriends Tomasz, a clever street urchin, and the two live by their wits as they travel toward the coast and a ship bound for America. Hinton's writing too often relies on melodrama, but his story is compelling.

Reviewer: Laura A. Woollett