Houston Family Book List -- October 2010

HCPL's Book Bites [2] column appears monthly in Houston Family Magazine [3]. Each column features suggested books for toddlers through teens. Get the new list every month in the magazine, available at all of our branches. Previous columns [4].

Toddlers (Ages 1-3)
[5]	1 Zany Zoo [5]by Lori Degman When one fearless fox grabs the zookeeper's keys and opens all the cages, increasing numbers of animals behave in most unusual ways.
[6]	How You Got So Smart [6] by David Milgrim Loved ones remind a little boy of how far he's come and how much he's learned and accomplished along the way.
[7]	How About a Kiss For Me? [7] by Todd Tarpley A baby tries to kiss things, from a dog and a frog to a mop and a jellyfish, before deciding that parents are the best recipients of kisses.
Picture Books (Pre K-K)
[8]	Barnyard Slam [8]by Dian Curtis Regan Farm animals express themselves at a poetry slam hosted by Yo Mama Goose.
[9]	Carmen Learns English [9]by Judy Cox Newly-arrived in the United States from Mexico, Carmen is apprehensive about going to school and learning English.
[10]	Daddy's Little Scout [10]by Janet Bingham Little Fox and his father look at other woodland animals' homes, then make a new den for themselves.
Early Readers (Grades 1-3)
[11]	Amazing Monty [11]by Johanna Hurwitz First-grader Montgomery Gerald Morris enjoys an exciting year as his class acquires a pair of parakeets as pets, he loses his first tooth, and he becomes a big brother.
[12]	The Can Man [12]by Laura E. Williams After watching a homeless man collect empty soft drink cans for the redemption money, a young boy decides to collect cans himself to earn money for a skateboard until he has a change of heart.
[13]	Frankly Frannie [13]by A J Stern Frannie Miller, who cannot wait to grow up and work in an office with a swivel chair and her own assistant, causes havoc when she tries to help out while on a school field trip to the local radio station.
Children's Fiction (Grades 4-6)
[14]	Alchemy and Meggy Swann [14]by Karen Cushman In 1573, the crippled, scorned, and destitute Meggy Swann goes to London, where she meets her father, an impoverished alchemist, and eventually discovers that although her legs are bent and weak, she has many other strengths.
[15]	The Dancing Pancake [15]by Eileen Spinelli Eleven-year-old Belinda "Bindi" Winkler and her family find their way through tough times with the love and support of the community that grows around their newly opened restaurant, "The Dancing Pancake."
[16]	Griff Carver, Hallway Patrol [16]by Jim Krieg Legendary Griff Carver joins the Rampart Middle School Hallway Patrol and with the help of his new friends, Griff solves the case of counterfeit hall passes.
Teen Fiction (Ages 12 & Up)
[17]	Amy and Roger's Epic Detour [17]by Morgan Matson After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.
[18]	As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth [19]by Lynne Rae Perkins A teenaged boy encounters one comedic calamity after another when his train strands him in the middle of nowhere, and everything comes down to luck.
[20]	The Eternal Ones [20]by Kirsten Miller Seventeen-year-old Haven Moore leaves East Tennessee to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, where she meets playboy Iain Morrow, whose fate may be tied to hers through a series of past lives.