CAPSULE COMMENTS

June 21, 2007

New Children's Books

Young people are encouraged to come in and sign up for the Summer Reading Program, "Get a Clue @ Your Library," and to check out these mystery books that can be found in the Children’s Department at Rodman Public Library's main building:

The mouse detectives continue their escapades with a buggy mystery to solve!
Bugs are all over Dot and Jabber's meadow. Then--poof!--they're gone! Bugs can't just disappear, can they? The mouse detectives know a big bug mystery when they see one. Join them as they search for clues to prove that there's more to this vanishing act than meets the eye. An afterward provides clear and fascinating information about how insects and animals use camouflage. For ages 3-6.

Where’s the Big Bad Wolf? by Eileen Christelow

Detective Doggedly, a pair of cows, and a sheep who looks very familiar are all nearby each time three pigs get in trouble, but the big bad wolf is conspicuously absent. This delightful story presents a new wrinkle on the classic tale, enlivened by the author’s fast-paced narrative style and her droll, comic illustrations. For ages 5-8.

The Sisters Grimm, Book One, The Fairy Tale Detectives, by Michael Buckley

In book one of this bestselling series, sisters Sabrina and Daphne are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. The sisters learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files. The girls are the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, and their new hometown is filled with Everafters (as magical folks like to be called), some good and some very, very bad. When a mysterious Everafter sets a giant loose on the town, it's up to the Sisters Grimm to save the day. For ages 11-14.

Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing, by Paul Janeczko

Do you know the difference between a code and a cipher? Can you tell a St. Cyr slide from a Cardano grille? Did you know that the discovery of a substitution cipher caused Mary Queen of Scots to lose her head? Packed into this practical field guide is everything a young person needs to know about the art of concealment—making and breaking codes, mastering cipher systems, and experimenting with secret writing. This fun volume offers plenty of hands-on practice sessions, tips for creating a code-making kit, sidebars on secret codes in history, and an amusing pair of spies to illustrate techniques. For ages 9-13.