Stupid Fast

Fifteen year old Felton Reinstein attends a small Wisconsin high school.  He has just gone through a growth spurt, and is quite surprised when he wins a 600 yard dash in track.  Not known for his athletic prowess, he catches the eye of the football coach who wants him to become the team's star running back next fall.  At home, Felton's physical changes cause his mother to suddenly go into a deep depression.  Other typical teen issues for Felton include a newspaper delivery route, first romance with a piano prodigy, and a little brother who dresses like a pirate; but football is the centerpiece of this first novel by Minnesotan Geoff Herbach.  Teen boys can probably identify with the inner turmoil of Felton who suddenly finds himself in the spotlight.

The Day Dirk Yeller Came to Town

Dirk Yeller has a reputation for being a mean old cuss.  When he arrives in the small western town of this story, everyone knows that trouble is brewing. Dirk seeks help for his cat scratch fever, and other problems; but the locals send him from store to store without success.  Finally Sam, a young boy, leads him to the library, where Miss Jenny knows the perfect solution for all his problems.  From the team of Mary Cassanova and Ard Hoyt (they also created One Dog Canoe), here is a rollicking picture book for book lovers of all ages.

Celebritrees; Historic and Famous Trees of the World

Trees are the largest plants on earth.  This book introduces readers to fourteen famous trees from all around the world--from Methuselah (a bristlecone pine) to General Sherman (a sequoia), to the Tule Tree in Mexico, the Bodhi Tree in Sri Lanka, and the Boab Prison Tree in Australia. Written by Margi Preus, with acrylic, watercolor, and pencil illustrations by Rebecca Gibson, this might be a resource for 'tree' units in elementary science classes.

Thirteenth Child

In an alternative (i.e. fantasy) version of Westward Expansion, we meet a girl named Eff--an unlucy thirteenth child and twin to her brother Lan--the lucky seventh son of a seventh son, and a highly talented magician like his father.  Their large family moves to Mill City, a town at the edge of civilization in the North Plains, where Eff's father wil become a professor of magic at a land grant college there.  Mill City is located on the Mammoth River along which runs the Great Barrier Magic, which keeps steam dragons, woolly rhinoceroses, woolly mammoths, and assorted other monsters away.  When a plague of beetles attach settler communities to the west of Mill City, Eff, her brother, father, and others must try to figure out the correct magic spell to end the plague.  Written by Patricia Wrede, this is the first volume in the Frontier Magic series.  The second volume is due out in August 2011.

Birding Minnesota

For serious bird enthusiasts, here is an in-depth guide to Minnesota birds.  Did you know that Minnesota is home to  over 400 bird species?  Arranged by biome (northern boreal, prairie, southern hardwood, northern deciduous, and the Twin Cities), the guide focuses on towns, cities, parks, and other locations around the state where birdwatching is especially good.  There are detailed maps, birds to be found at each site, food, lodging and camping information, and any hazards (poison ivy, etc.) for each area.  Written by Jay Michael Strangis, this is a resource for hard-core birdwatchers, and it might be a resource for high school biology classes.

Hole in the Sky

If swine flu didn't scare you enough in 2010, you need to read this tale of a deadly flu virus that has killed most of the earth's population between the years 2028-2031.  There are 'survivors who are immune to the virus, but they all sufffer losses ranging from sensory impairment to being completely delusional.  A few people have avoided exposure by living in isolated areas, including the Grand Canyon, where this story is set.  The story is told from the viewpoint of four teen characters, giving readers several perspectives on the actions taking place.  It's a little science fiction, and a very good adventure/survival story by Pete Hautman.

Minnesota's Hidden Alphabet

Look at the natural world around you.  Can you find the letter A in a jumble of tree roots?, the letter I in a cattail?, or the letter O in a bird's nest?  Photographer, Joe Rossi traveled the state of Minnesota in search of all the letters of the alphabet, photographing scenes from Granite Falls to Chippewa National Forest, and from Bemidji to St. Paul.  Read this book to see what he found; and learn about the nature and plants/animals as they are described by David LaRochelle.  The illustrations and text make this much more than a simple alphabet book.  It could be a classroom resource for elementary art and science classes.