THE KID FROM DIAMOND STREET: The Extraordinary Story of Baseball Legend Edith Houghton by Audrey Vernick.  Illus. by Steven Salerno.  Clarion Books: New York, 2016.  40p. ISBN 9780544611634 hc. $17.99    Gr. 2- 4   JUV NF   796.357092

Edith Houghton claimed to have been "..born with a baseball in my hand," and played baseball so well that she was chosen to play on a women's team in the 1920's at the tender age of 10.  The Philadelphia Bobbies, named for the bobbed hairstyle that was popular with independent women at the time, was the only team for women, so they played against men's teams. The Bobbies had a chance to play exhibition games in Japan, another country that loved baseball, and traveled there by train and ocean liner.  Besides playing baseball with the Japanese teams, the women also experienced Japanese culture, a rare opportunity for most Americans.  Edith returned home and continued to play ball until she was 19.  Salerno enriches the story with vivid illustrations from charcoal, ink and gouache techniques that work perfectly with the text.  One of the best is a bird' eye view of the baseball team practicing on the ships deck while sailing to Japan.  A follow-up biography at the back of the book includes several photos of Edith and interesting facts about her.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST by Holly Black. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2015.  336p.  ISBN 978-0316213073 hc. $18.00   Gr. 9-12   TN FIC

Hazel and Ben, siblings from Fairfold, have always lived with a healthy respect for the magical powers of the "folk" who live in the surrounding forest.  After all, there's a horned boy in a glass coffin in the forest, much like the fairy tale character, Snow White, who has fascinated the pair since childhood.  Hazel's biggest problem at the moment is that she has a reputation for kissing all the boys except the one she really likes, and Ben can't seem to find a suitable boyfriend.  Everyday worries are soon put aside when the school comes under attack by Sorrow, a horrible tree-like creature that puts anyone nearby under a spell of sadness.  At the same time, the horned boy is released from his enclosure in the forest and finds his way to Fairfold, meeting up with Ben, and putting the brother and sister team in the middle of a fairy war.  Secrets from the past are revealed in both mortal and fairy families as the adventure widens to include a vengeful fairy king and the magical creatures he controls.  Holly Black delivers another exciting teen fantasy full of romance, imagination, and adventure.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

LOST IN THE SUN by Lisa Graff.  Philomel Books, 2015.  304p. ISBN 978-0399164064 hc. $16.99    Gr. 4-6   JUV FIC

This story opens memorably as Trent and his brothers put coins into an arcade machine that tries to pick up a plushy prize with a mechanical claw.  Week after week the boys try for a prize, only to find out the claw isn't strong enough to lift any of the toys out of the tightly packed pile.  Life isn't always what it seems; and from Trent's 12 year-old perspective, it's getting worse. In the past few months, he's been rude to his father, disrespectful to his teachers, and picked fights with his classmates.  He has real trust issues with his father, stepmother, and new baby sister.  His mom and brothers are still talking to him, but he's pushing them away also.  Ever since he hit a hockey puck into a teammate which resulted in his death, Trent thinks everyone hates him and is acting accordingly.  But then, Fallon Little enters the picture and triggers his curiosity with her odd clothes and attention to detail.  He seems to stay out of trouble with Fallon around, until one incident that alienates both Fallon and his mom, leaving Trent completely without emotional support.  Very slowly and intentionally, he starts to repair the relationships he destroyed in the past few months - with some surprising results. 
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

TWELVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT by Christopher Edge. Chicago:  
Albert Whitman & Co. 2014. 252p. ISBN: 978-0-8075-8133-9 hc. 
$16.99  Gr. 5-8   JUV 

Penelope Treadwell is a 13 year old girl in Victorian England. 
Her family owns a magazine called "Penny Dreadful." Penelope 
writes mysteriy stories in the magazine under a pen name 
Montgomery Finch. One day, Penelope receives a letter from the 
Bedlam madhouse requesting help in solving a mystery. She hires 
an actor to portray her alter-ego, and together they go to 
investigate the mystery at the madhouse. The first story in the 
Penelope Tredwell Mysteries, it will engage readers from beginning 
to end. The descriptions of Victorian England and the historical 
details are very well balanced for middle schoolers. 
Melissa Coyne, Library Volunteer, Munising School Public Library

ALL MY NOBLE DREAMS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS by Gloria Whelan. 
New York: Simon & Schuster Books, 2014. 255p. 
ISBN:978-1-4424-4976-3 hc. $15.99.  Gr. 6-10  JUV

This sequel to SMALL ACTS OF AMAZING COURAGE (2011) continues 
to follow the life of Rosalind James, torn between the world 
she lives in with her strict father, a major in the British 
Indian Army, and the wider world of India, where followers of 
Gandhi spread the message of peace and independence.  When she 
gets the opportunity to meet the Prince of Wales, who is 
visiting the area, she must decide whether to speak up about 
the poverty and caste restrictions she sees in the streets of 
India, or stay loyal to the ruling British government. This 
book is engaging and gives readers a broader view of the world 
around them.
Melissa Coyne, Volunteer, Munising School Public Library

SOLVING THE PUZZLE UNDER THE SEA by Robert Burleigh. Illus. by Raul Colon. New York:  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. 32p. ISBN 978-14814-16009 hc. $17.99   Gr. 1-4   JUV NF

The story of Marie Tharp, mapmaker, is narrated in first person and begins with, "Maps. I love them."  She tells about growing up with a family that moved from state to state as her father was commissioned to make maps around the country.   She graduated from college in 1948, still in love with maps, but curious about land formations under the ocean.  Banned from science boats because she was a woman, Marie studied from shore and mapped out "soundings" which sent sound waves to the bottom of the ocean and echoed back to indicate the depth of the water.  She identified the very deep Mid-Atlantic Ridge which then served to further studies of plate tectonics.  Colon's amazing illustrations are created in watercolor on textured paper, accented with colored pencil and a wave effect that gives a 3-D look to the landscape.  There's a short biography of Marie Tharp, a glossary of geologic terms, and a research bibliography to round out the information in this beautiful book.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

THE STORM by Akiko Miyakoshi. Tonawanda, NY:  Kids Can Press, 2016. 32p. ISBN 978-177138-5596 hc. $16.95. Originally published in Japan in 2009.  PreS - Gr. 2    E PIC

Told in first person narrative, this story is about a young boy who's been waiting all week to go to the beach with his family.  However, on Friday, his teacher announces the imminent arrival of a large weather system that may change plans for a beach day.  As the family prepares for the storm, which arrives with more ferocity than expected, the narrator tries not show his fear.  Finally sleep overtakes him and he dreams of adventures at sea.  The next day is bright and sunny and "Perfect for a day at the beach!"  As readers turn the page, they are rewarded with blue sky after a whole book of grey charcoal drawings that set the ominous, anxious tone of the story. Watch for the grey striped cat that appears on almost every page of this beautifully drawn and simply written story.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI