I’m heading off to the WAPL (Wisconsin Association of Public Libraries) Conference for the next couple of days, so don’t expect any posts until this weekend.

Inside Grandad by Peter Dickinson (0-385-74641-5)
Peter Dickinson has been one of the authors I always read since he wrote Eva. With this book, he writes in a completely different way, but infuses it all with the magic always present in his writing.
Inside Grandad follows Gavin who has always been taken care of by his grandfather while his mother and gran work. Grandad builds model boats, takes Gavin fishing, and both of them enjoy their near-silent time together. Then Grandad has a stroke and everything changes. Gavin feels an enormous pressure to help Grandad, feeling that he is the only one who can reach him.
This one is certainly appropriate for classroom use, especially with its depth that will generate discussion and its short length. The cover matches the story beautifully, but it may take some pushing to get it into the hands of kids.