Newberry Medal 2006 Newberry Medal Winner Criss Cross Lynne Rae Perkins    Summertime, a small town, standing on the cusp of childhood: the characters in this novel cross paths over and over, sometimes connecting and sometimes not, with a poignancy not built out of any crisis, but with a sweetness and humor that runs deeply and mostly quietly. Debbie wishes that "something would happen" and her springtime wish from the novel's first chapter certainly comes true over the course of the summer--but what happens will vary by reader. Lots of things happen, but mostly the teenagers who flow in and out of each others' lives and stories simply become more themselves. A few adults make kindly, cameo appearances (the trial of buying bell-bottom jeans with one's mother in the mall made me smile), but this is mostly a story about being an adult in caterpillar stage, with small emergences from the chrysalis of childhood. Romance is ambient and desired, but mostly as a new variation on friendship; it is still mysterious and slightly out of reach. I would put the setting in the early 1970s, or thereabouts--there are few clues--and the place could be any small or suburban community. The chapter titles along with the jacket art and drawings--presumably all by the author--are a delight. Light, but not frothy, wise but not preachy, funny but not goofy: what a treat. This is Perkins' second novel; her first was the wonderful All Alone in the Universe. 2005, Greenwillow, $15.99. Ages 10 to 14. Reviewer: Kathie Meizner (Children's Literature).    A small and handy phrase on the cover of this novel tells the reader what the book is about, and that is a lucky feature. Without it, one might not be able to figure it out. The point of view shifts between several characters in a way that confuses, rather than illuminates, the story. "She wished something would happen," the cover states. "She" refers to Debbie, and the ambiguity of "something" is felt throughout the novel. Peter, Dan, Lenny, Leon, and Hector are some of the characters woven throughout Debbie's story, all with plotlines of their own. Some characters, like Debbie's mom, make brief appearances and then disappear with no explanation. Others, like Chrisanne, fulfill no function in the story. Several of the subplots are unresolved by the end of the book and whether or not Debbie got her wish is anyone's guess. She meanders through her tale, and by its end she has neither changed nor learned anything new. The reader will wish something had happened, too. 2005, Greenwillow Books, $15.99 and $17.89. Ages 10 to 14. revv Mary Loftus (Children's Literature). Best Books: Booklist Book Review Stars , Oct. 15, 2005; United States Children's Book Sense Picks, Winter 2005-2006; Independent Booksellers Association; United States Children's Editor's Choice, 2005; Kirkus Reviews; United States Kirkus Book Review Stars, August 15, 2005; United States School Library Journal Book Review Stars, September 2005; Cahners; United States SLJ Best Books, 2005; Cahners; United States ISBN: 0-06-009272-6 ISBN: 0-06-00927-3 Newberry Honor Books Whittington Alan Armstrong Illustrated by S.D. Schindler    In this mingling of animal fantasy and an old English folktale, a stray cat named Whittington arrives at a barn and asks Lady, the duck in charge, if he can have a place in the barn to live along with the various other stray animals that live there. The barn is owned by Bernie, who does not have the heart to turn animals away, and he cares for the animals along with his orphaned grandchildren Abby, who is ten, and Ben, who is eight. When winter snows force the animals to stay in the barn, Whittington begins to tell the tale of English merchant, Dick Whittington and his famous cat, from which Whittington is descended. Born into plague and poverty during the Middle Ages, Dick Whittington runs away to London where he finds adventure and the cat that eventually will make him a rich tradesman. The author skillfully intertwines the modern barnyard world, a subplot involving Ben's reading troubles, and the rags-to-riches folktale. The illustrator's pen and ink drawings convey both the warmth of modern barnyard life and the timelessness of the folktale. 2005, Random House, $14.95. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Valerie O. Patterson (Children's Literature). Best Books: Kirkus Book Review Stars, July 1, 2005; United States School Library Journal Book Review Stars, August 2005; Cahners; United States ISBN: 0-375-82864-8 ISBN: 0-375-92864-2 ISBN: 0-375-82865-6 Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow Susan Campbell Bartoletti    Yes, the Hitler youth is mentioned in most young adult nonfiction on the subject, but to see through this lens creates a completely different book! Bartoletti is quickly becoming a nonfiction writer who tops lists with her engaging writing, viewpoint, obvious dedication to research and knowledge of how important pictures are to the telling for this audience. Her book is filled with chilling quotes, anecdotal stories derived from research and interviews, and stories about how Hitler's young were manipulated and used as a primary source of his power and vision for the future. There are many facts revealed that may be new to readers. For example, the required year of service after graduation, the Landjahr, required youth do everything from clearing forests to shoveling "gravel through sieves for seven full hours" and by 1938 "the Reich Labor Service has turned so many acres of forests and swamps into useful land that it made up for nearly all the territory Germany had lost in the Treaty of Versailles." The author threads through the pages the stories of young heroes who stood up against Hitler, such as Sophie and Hans Scholl who wrote and distributed pamphlets until they were executed. 2005, Scholastic, $19.95. Ages 11 up. Reviewer: Susie Wilde (Children's Literature). Best Books: Best Children's Books, 2005; Publishers Weekly; United States Booklist Book Review Stars , Apr. 15, 2005; United States Children's Editor's Choice, 2005; Kirkus Reviews; United States Kirkus Book Review Stars, April 1, 2005; United States Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005; H.W. Wilson; United States Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, May 23, 2005; Cahners; United States School Library Journal Book Review Stars, June 2005; Cahners; United States SLJ Best Books, 2005; Cahners; United States Awards, Honors, Prizes: Parent's Choice Award Gold 2005 Non-Fiction United States ISBN: 0439353793 Princess Academy Shannon Hale    Education is important but the Princess Academy makes it imperative. The academy houses a group of rough mountain girls who must be tutored in the ways of royalty. After all, Prince Steffan, from the far-off lowland, will choose one to be his bride. Miri learns eagerly but struggles with homesickness and the cattiness of some of the other girls. But when bandits break into the academy and hold the girls hostage, Miri finds a well of fierce strength within herself. She engineers a group escape but is recaptured by the bloodthirsty leader. No, the prince does not come galloping up to save her. Full of suspense and even a literal cliffhanger, this novel by acclaimed author Shannon Hale will keep young readers stuck to the page like the winter snow on Miri's beloved mountain. 2005, Bloomsbury, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature).    Miri yearns to prove herself useful to her widowed father by working in the village quarry, but, he forbids this, thus cutting his daughter off from the bond of the villagers who earn their living carving stone on Mount Eskel. In this unusual blend of coming-of-age, adventure, fantasy, and fairy tale story Shannon Hale gives us a strong girl persona, wicked "outlaw outsiders," corrupt business dealings, strict "princess trainers," and a prince in need of a proper princess. Miri proves her worth to her father, the village, the head of the Academy itself, and to the fellow worthy of this quick-witted, hard-working "almost a woman." The crux of the tale is the "quarry speech" used by the stone workers to communicate over the noise and confusion of the quarry, which is adapted by Miri in her desperation to save the village girls after they have been kidnapped by the outlaws. As usual, Hale ties her characters to the land in which they have been born and to Nature itself. This is an engaging, plain "good read" that just happens to be filled with life lessons about friendship, acceptance, courage, endurance, and finding the right path. Guard against dismissing this fantasy as more of the same old genre; there are a lot of fresh ideas and solid truths to be had in this finely-crafted novel. 2005, Bloomsbury, $16.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Sheilah Egan (Children's Literature). Best Books: Kirkus Book Review Stars, July 15, 2005; United States School Library Journal Book Review Stars, October 2005; Cahners; United States ISBN: 1-5823-4993-2 ISBN: 978-1-5823-4993-0 Show Way Jacqueline Woodson Iillustrated by Hudson Talbott    Fabric is sewn into the strikingly attractive quilts that decorate the endpapers and lead us into this tale of generations of an African-American family as they move from slavery to freedom. When Soonie's seven-year-old grandma is sold from Virginia to a South Carolina plantation, she takes with her muslin, thread, and needles. She learns to sew from Big Mama, making a quilt that was a map to freedom for some. The young girl grows up, jumps the broom, and has a baby girl named Mathis May who also learns to sew, is sold, and takes a piece of fabric with her as well. She also knows how to make the map quilt called the "Show Way." After the Civil War when she is free, she has a baby girl as well. In colloquial language and almost poetic cadence, Woodson brings us in time to Soonie, her life of work and sewing quilts, and to her children and grandchildren "walking in a line to change the laws" of segregation. Having traced the generations, the story ends as it began. With watercolors, chalk, and fabrics Talbott sometimes creates double-page scenes of events. Other pages include gray interpretations of contemporary documents, and still others are designed like pieces of quilts with vignettes. Through many we see a ribbon or road of the growing colorful quilt. Beyond information, the illustrations convey a lyricism with the positive message. The arresting cover has a diamond-shaped cut-out framed with the quilt but surrounded by dark documentary vignettes. Through the opening we see Mathis May holding a candle to light our way. 2005, G.P. Putnam's Sons/Penguin Young Readers Group, $16.99. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature). Best Books: Best Children's Books, 2005; Publishers Weekly; United States Booklist Book Review Stars , Sep. 15, 2005; United States Children's Editor's Choice, 2005; Kirkus Reviews; United States Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 15, 2005; United States Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, September 12, 2005; Cahners; United States School Library Journal Book Review Stars, November 2005; Cahners; United States ISBN: 0-399-23749-6 To stay up to date on new books by these authors, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.