Clay by David Almond.
Released on July 25, 2006.
David Almond returns to his themes of faith and amazing creatures in his new book. Davie is a Catholic boy who fights with the Protestant kids living nearby. Their battles have gone on for generations in the community. He and his best friend, Geordie have a hideout in a quarry that they continually add new defenses to and an archenemy named Mouldy. But when a new boy, Stephen Rose comes to town, Davie’s world changes. Stephen can create life-like features out of clay and spends much of his days sitting in a shed in the garden creating Apostle figures. Davie does not want to befriend Stephen, but is slowly drawn into the weird life that Stephen has created with his mentally ill aunt. As time goes by, Davie begins to believe that he and Stephen have special powers and that they may even be able to create life.
The book is filled with questions of right and wrong and good and evil that are not easy for Davie or readers to answer. It is a complex blend of reality and miracles where what has really happened seems to shift and change as the story weaves on. The language is both straight-forward and lyrical at the same time, adding to the tension in the book. This is a perfect book for discussions, because so much of the story can be interpreted either literally or spiritually. I always appreciate a book that doesn’t give young readers easy answers. This is the sort of book that is a perfect introduction to complex literature.
All of that said, I am not sure it will be an easy sell to young adults. This will be one that will have to be hand-sold or introduced into discussions. It would make a great booktalk for teens, especially if you leave them dangling about the story line. So, read this one yourself, share it with the sophisticated readers in your community, and see how many you can hook with a good booktalk.

Celebrate! Connections among Cultures by Jan Reynolds.
This is a tremendous book filled with clear, colorful, evocative photographs. The photographs and the text lead us through how similarly people from around the world celebrate special occasions. We all use food, music, fire, and dance. Many of the photos are of ancient cultures that Americans will know little to nothing about. So it gives us a glimpse into how these poeple live and ties our modern lives together with theirs in celebration.
This is a book to be lingered over and enjoyed. The photographs will not project well to a large group, but that should not stop using this with children, especially when doing multicultural programs or units. The end of the book features a map that lets children see where in the world all of the peoples in the book live.

Mama’s Wild Child/Papa’s Wild Child by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Nora Hilb.
This is a charming book that far exceeds many of the flip type books on the market. Each double-page spread tells of either a mother or father animal parent that takes care of their child in a special way. So when you read the Mama side of the book, you get examples of mother animals like chimps, seals, whales, and llamas. And then when you flip the book, you get great examples of father animals that care for their young like penguins, seahorses and swans. The illustrations are done in soft tones that make this a perfect book for bedtime. The picture book will work well both for children who enjoy stories and those who like animal facts. It will also work well for animal units or a read aloud.

Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley.
This book has gotten several starred reviews and deservedly so!  An easy way to describe this book is a retelling of Cinderella, but that doesn’t really do it justice.  The original story is so well-hidden in a detailed book that it is hard to recognize it except for certain elements.  It is the story of Bella, a knight’s daughter whose father is so distraught over her mother’s death at Bella’s birth that he sends her away to be raised by peasants.  While living with the loving but poor family, Bella meets a young prince who is growing up in a nearby castle and they become fast friends.  But Bella doesn’t know that she is anything more than a peasant girl.  When Bella is a teen, she is suddenly summoned back to her father’s home because he has remarried.  She is so ill-suited to be in a knight’s house that they have her sleep in the kitchen.  The story continues to build into an adventure where Bella has to save the prince. 
This is a marvelous retelling that completely remakes the story into something modern and spectacular.  Bella is a worthy heroine for girls to relate to.  I also enjoyed that the story shows the points of view of other characters like Bella’s stepmother and stepsisters.  Point this out to girls who enjoy fantasy, romance, or princess books. 

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long. 
This book is lovely, lovely, lovely.  From its speckled end pages to the exquisite illustrations inside, it is like entering an amazing egg gallery.  The joy of the book is taking the time to slowly look at each type of egg in the book, from the vivid turquoise of a Glossy Ibis egg to the strange, tubular dogfish egg.  This is a perfect book to share with preschoolers through second graders when doing a nature unit.  But it is also a great spring lap-book to share one-on-one with a budding naturalist.