The Klipfish Code

The year is 1942. Twelve year old Marit lives with her family in a small town in Norway when the country is attacked by Germany. When her parents join the Resistance, Marit and her brother Lars are sent to a nearby island to live with relatives. This suspenseful story by Mary Casanova brings attention to a country not often featured in fiction about World War II. It is a story of heroism and perserverance, is a real page-turner, and could be the basis of class discussion about the historical events as well as broader themes of human dignity and endurance.

Up To the Plate

Girls who play softball or little league baseball will enjoy this history of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. The League ran for 12 seasons from 1943 to 1955 in the Upper Midwest (including a Minneapolis team for a short time). The League started as a substitute for men's baseball during World War II, and the book includes photos of and interviews with former players. Written by Margot Fortunato Galt, this was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award (children's nonfiction) in 1996.

Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken

Louise is no ordinary farmyard chicken. She wants some adventure in life. In the first chapter she goes to sea on a sailing ship. But the ship is attacked by pirates and Louise narrowly escapes to return to the peaceful henhouse. Chapter 2 opens with Louise running away to join the circus when it comes to town. She learns to perform a high wire act, but almost becomes dinner for a hungry lion when she slips off the wire one day. In chapter 3, Louise travels to a land far away where she discovers a wonderful bazaar. Wonderful that is, until she is captured and put in a cage with other chickens. When Louise returns home this time, she simply must tell everyone the story of her adventures. Written by Kate DiCamillo, with wonderful illustrations by Harry Bliss; this can be a read-aloud, or used by individual readers who will love the detail in the illustrations.

Curse of a Winter Moon

In a change of pace, Mary Casanova takes us to 16th century France for the story of Marius and his younger brother Jean-Pierre who the local villagers believe is marked with the curse of a werewolf because he was born on Christmas Eve. Each year as Christmas approaches, the fear and hysteria around Jean-Pierre gets worse, until finally Marius must show his true character and defy the ruling institutions, including the church, in order to save himself and his brother. A short book, and a gripping read, this won the Minnesota Book Award for Young Adults in 2001. It may also be useful as supplemental material for world history classes studying the middle ages and early events of the Reformation.

Stolen Car

Danielle, 15, has a difficult life in Flint, Michigan. She lives in a run-down trailer court with her mom and a series of losers who wanna be a father and husband. Her best friend, Ashley, on the other hand, has a good life in a good neighborhood with good (if older) parents. Evan would like to Danielle's boyfriend, but she ignores him in favor of Reid, a classic bad-boy who selfishly uses her for his own ends. When Danielle finally sees the truth, she and Ashley steal Reid's cherished sports car and go for a soul-searching ride. Written by Patrick Jones, the realistic characters and life situations, make this a good read for teens. A number of local and regional teens are acknowledged by the author in the front.

Happy Birthday To Me!

For the next birthday in your family or class, here is a collection of funny birthday poems to share. Most are by Bruce Lansky, but a few other authors are included, including Dr. Seuss. If the poems aren't funny enough, the illustrations by Jack Lindstrom make the package complete.

Lake Street U.S.A.

During the 1990's, Minnesota-born photographer Wing Young Huie took hundreds of pictures along Lake Street in Minneapolis. During this era, neighborhoods along Lake Street were transformed into a multicultural brew of ethnicities. This book is a compilation of 500 of the photos that were used in a large exhibition along Lake Street in 2000. Intended for an adult audience; high school students studying photography as art or sociology will find this an interesting book to browse or pour over as the photos capture their imagination. It was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in the Nature/Minnesota category in 2002.