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The Trouble begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild west by Sid Fleischman

Starred Review. This biography of the writer who changed literature forever sets a standard few can meet: it is top-notch entertainment. Newbery Medalist Fleischman (The Whipping Boy) nearly channels Mark Twain's voice, making great use of his subject's wit to contextualize his place in American letters. Sam regarded it as akin to child abuse that his father... scraped up the funds to send him to the log schoolhouse, Fleischman writes of Samuel Clemens's boyhood in Missouri. With colorful detail, he catalogues Clemens's search for a vocation at the print shop, on the riverboat, with the gold-diggers and, finally, at the newspaper, where he first used the pen name Mark Twain. In one illustrative example, a San Francisco theater owner suggests in 1866 that Twain give a lecture about his recent adventures in the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), and he accepts, despite a lack of public speaking experience. He did not have a gift for caution, Fleischman notes dryly. The title is taken from the lecture's advertising posters: Doors open at 7 o'clock. The Trouble to begin at 8 o'clock. Period engravings, newspaper cartoons and b&w photographs round out this spirited portrait. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 9 12. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Grendel the Ghastly by Michelle L. Szobody

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Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World by 9781560891318

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Knights & Castles by Philip Dixon

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Ocean Life by Carolyn Franklin

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Dinosaurs by David Stewart

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A Child’s Book of Prayers by Juli Kangas

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Reign of the Sea Dragons by Sneed B. Collard

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Imagine a Dragon by Laurence P. Pringle

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The Grasshopper’s Song: an Aesop’s Fable Revisited by Nikki Giovanni

Starred Review. Every year the same thing happens. The Grasshoppers sing, the Ants work in rhythm, the crops come up smoothly, and when winter comes, the Ants turn their backs. So claim four attorneys in Giovanni's (On My Journey Now) revision of Aesop's fable, a shrewd evaluation of the value of art. Jimmy Grasshopper hires the firm of Robin, Robin, Robin and Wren to sue Nestor and Abigail Ant. The trial begins in spring, presided over by Judge Owl and a jury of mammals, birds and insects. For all her amusing animal characters, Giovanni investigates complex issues. Of course my clients enjoyed [Grasshopper's songs]. Who doesn't enjoy a clown? says the Ants' lawyer. Must everything be in the marketplace? counters the Grasshopper, who performed without a written contract. To illustrate Giovanni's detailed and insightful prose, Raschka (Grump Groan Growl, reviewed below) creates evocative, earth-tone watercolors that suggest camouflage; his dapple-brown images set the scenes in forest undergrowth. Little litigants and their elders will enjoy mulling over the debate. All ages. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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