Tales From Africa

Retold by Kathleen Arnott

Drawn from all parts of Africa, these stories convey the fierce sense of justice inherent in African peoples, their powers of patience and endurance, and their supreme ability as storytellers. A greedy spider, an evil shark, flying horses, a cruel baboon, a scheming tortoise, and a cunning hare are among the many animal characters in this riveting collection. Yet even though animals feature prominently in most of the stories, humans are not neglected either. Meet blacksmiths, kings, chiefs, peasants, and even an African Superman. There are also answers to such important questions as why the crab has no head, why the sun and moon live in the sky, and why flies buzz. The tales are collected from all across the continent--from Nigeria to Congo to South Africa--and translated from over a dozen languages like Swahili, Bantu, Fulani, Zulu, and Yoruba.
J398.2ARN
Also try: Tales From West Africa J398.2BEN

CandyFloss

by Jacqueline Wilson

Floss's Mom and Dad are separated and are not at all alike anymore. When Mom decides to move the family to Australia to follow the new stepdad's job, Floss thinks she might just stay with her Dad. After all, her Dad runs a cool diner and lives upstairs over it. Floss quickly finds out the diner is in trouble and her Dad has run out of money. Will Floss's friends all abandon her now that she is poor? Will she change her mind and go live in luxury with her Mom?

J PB WIL

Magic Pickle

By Scott Morse

Meet the world's greenest, bumpiest, briniest superhero! Now in graphic novel format -- Magic Pickle faces his worst nightmare, the Brotherhood of Evil Produce. Will the world be conquered by vegetables gone wild?

J MOR

Jerry Spinelli: Master Teller of Teen Tales

By John Micklos, Jr.

Spinelli has written more than 20 books, including Maniac Magee, Stargirl, and Milkweed. Find out what he is really like, and where he got his inspiration from. If you are needing to report on a biography -- report on a person whose work you love!

Y813.54 SPI

Ruby Lu: Empress of Everything

By Lenore Look

Ruby's cousing Flying Duck comes from China to live with her. Ruby gets to be a Smile Buddy and help her cousin out, but that gets old when Ruby discovers that everything at home is changing -- and not for the better. Her parents have stopped speaking English and expect her to be able to eat with chopsticks. And, they expect her to learn Chinese sign language! Is it worth having this new friend in her life?

This is Ruby's second book, check out Ruby Lu: Brave & True for the first installment of her adventures. If you like Ramona -- you'll like Ruby Lu.

J LOO