Wild Rumpus Bestsellers

 

These are our very own bestsellers for the week of January 23 - 29.

 

My Father's Dragon (Paperback)

By Ruth Stiles Gannett
$7.95
ISBN-13: 9780394890487
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers, 11/1987
Other Editions of this Title

This is a small boy's idea of how he would go about rescuing a baby dragon from the dangers of Wild Island. He gave chewing gum to the tigers, he showed the rhinoceros how to clean his tusks with a toothbrush and tooth paste, he helped the lion untangle his mane with a comb and left him decorating himself with hair ribbons, he supplied some monkeys with magnifying glasses to search out the fleas that were bothering the gorilla. And he kept himself from getting too hungry by eating peanut butter sandwiches and tangerines. And of course he freed the dragon and sailed home through the air! Ruth Gannett has made beguiling pictures and the publishers have done a beautiful job of book-making. Nonsense tale with convincing realism that should entice small listeners.

A Ball for Daisy (Hardcover)

By Chris Raschka, Chris Raschka
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780375858611
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Schwartz & Wade, 5/2011
Other Editions of this Title

Here's a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it.  Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?,Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring.  Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

Starred Review, School Library Journal, August 2011:
"Raschka’s genius lies in capturing the essence of situations that are deeply felt by children."

Starred Review, Horn Book, September/October 2011:
"a story that is noteworthy for both its artistry and its child appeal."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2011:

“Rarely, perhaps never, has so steep an emotional arc been drawn with such utter, winning simplicity.” 

The Magic Half (Paperback)

By Annie Barrows
$6.99
ISBN-13: 9781599903583
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 4/2009
Other Editions of this Title

 

Miri is the non-twin child in a family with two sets of them--older brothers and younger sisters. The family has just moved to an old farmhouse in a new town, where the only good thing seems to be Miri's ten-sided attic bedroom. But when Miri gets sent to her room after accidentally bashing her big brother on the head with a shovel, she finds herself in the same room . . . only not quite.

Without meaning to, she has found a way to travel back in time to 1935 where she discovers Molly, a girl her own age very much in need of a loving family. A highly satisfying classic-in-the-making full of spine-tingling moments, this is a delightful time-travel novel for the whole family.

 

Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! (Hardcover)

By Mo Willems, Mo Willems
$14.99
ISBN-13: 9780786837465
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Hyperion, 4/2006
Other Editions of this Title

 

Miri is the non-twin child in a family with two sets of them--older brothers and younger sisters. The family has just moved to an old farmhouse in a new town, where the only good thing seems to be Miri's ten-sided attic bedroom. But when Miri gets sent to her room after accidentally bashing her big brother on the head with a shovel, she finds herself in the same room . . . only not quite.

Without meaning to, she has found a way to travel back in time to 1935 where she discovers Molly, a girl her own age very much in need of a loving family. A highly satisfying classic-in-the-making full of spine-tingling moments, this is a delightful time-travel novel for the whole family.

 

Sparrow Road (Hardcover)

By Sheila O'Connor
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780399254581
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Putnam Juvenile, 5/2011
Other Editions of this Title

It's the summer before seventh grade, and twelve-year- old Raine O'Rourke's mother suddenly takes a job hours from home at mysterious Sparrow Road- a creepy, dilapidated mansion that houses an eccentric group of artists. As Raine tries to make sense of her new surroundings, she forges friendships with a cast of quirky characters including the outrageous and funky Josie.

Together, Raine and Josie decide to solve the mysteries of Sparrow Road-from its haunting history as an orphanage to the secrets of its silent, brooding owner, Viktor. But it's an unexpected secret from Raine's own life that changes her forever.

An affecting and beautifully written story of family and forgiveness, Sparrow Road is an incredible gift.

Otis (Board Books)

By Loren Long, Loren Long
$8.99
ISBN-13: 9780399256004
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Philomel, 1/2011
Other Editions of this Title

In the short time that Otis has been in stores, readers-young and old-have taken to it in the same way that readers throughout the years have embraced many of our most celebrated picture books. Loren Long has created a story that is powerful in its simplicity and timelessness, one with a place on the shelf alongside the classics we all grew up reading. And now a whole new age group will fall in love with Otis, the friendly little tractor, thanks to this board book edition. Let the cries of putt puff puttedy chuff begin!

The Fault in Our Stars (Hardcover)

By John Green
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780525478812
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Dutton Juvenile, 1/2012
Other Editions of this Title
“An electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave. Filled with staccato bursts of humor and tragedy, The Fault in Our Starstakes a spin on universal themes--Will I be loved? Will I be remembered? Will I leave a mark on this world?--by dramatically raising the stakes for the characters who are asking.”
--Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister’s Keeper and Sing You Home

"A novel of life and death and the people caught in between, The Fault in Our Starsis John Green at his best. You laugh, you cry, and then you come back for more." -- Markus Zusak, bestselling and Printz Honor­ winning authorof The Book Thief

"John Green writes incredible, honest truths about the secret, weird hearts of human beings. He makes me laugh and gasp at the beauty of a sentence or the twist of a tale. Heis one of the best writers alive and I am seething with envy of his talent." --E. Lockhart, National Book Award Finalist and Printz Honor­winning author of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks and The Boyfriend List

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Hardcover)

By Ransom Riggs
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9781594744761
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Quirk Books, 6/2011
Other Editions of this Title

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Extra Yarn (Hardcover)

By Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780061953385
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Balzer + Bray, 1/2012

This looks like an ordinary box full of ordinary yarn.

But it turns out it isn’t.

* "Quirky and wonderful, this story quietly celebrates a child's ingenuity and her ability to change the world around her." -- Booklist(starred review)

* "Understated illustrations and prose seamlessly construct an enchanting and mysterious tale." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

* "Klassen's pacing...is impeccable. The final spread, all light and yarn-covered tree limbs, brings Barnett's clever, quiet yarn full circle, to a little girl and a town, now colorful and happy." -- The Horn Book Magazine (starred review)

"Possesses the qualities of the old-fashioned magical realism that you find in the most enduring nursery books." -- The Wall Street Journal

* "Klassen's deadpan, stylized illustrations impeccably complement Barnett's quirky droll writing." -- School Library Journal (starred review) 

 

Dead End in Norvelt (Hardcover)

By Jack Gantos, Jack Gantos
$15.99
ISBN-13: 9780374379933
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Macmillan Young Listeners, 9/2011
Other Editions of this Title
2012 Newbery Winner! 
 
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launced on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.
 
Dead End in Norvelt is a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Fiction title for 2011.
One of Horn Book’s Best Fiction Books of 2011.

 


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