Fame and Glory in Freedom, Georgia by Barbara O’Connor (0-374-32258-9)
Bird is an outcast at school with no friends, but she has a wonderful neighbor, Miss Delphine, who keeps on telling her that she can take care of things. Bird has two dreams, one for fame and glory if only for one day and the other to go to Disney World. When Harlem, another outcast, arrives in town, Bird decides that they will become friends. Bird uses the school spelling bee to approach Harlem, believing that the two of them can make her two dreams come true.
This is a refreshing book because the characters are a lifelike mix. Mistakes are made and admitted and fixed. Friendships are rocky. Characters break free of stereotypical roles. A wonderful humor-laced glimpse into real life.
This book is that perfect length of just over 100 pages that kids are often looking for for school assignments. It would be of interest to both boys and girls in elementary school with its girl and boy protagonists. Bird is a spunky girl, something I am always looking for in children’s books.

Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce (0375814663)
A new book from one of my favorite YA fantasy authors, who also wrote the Circle of Magic and The Lioness cycles. This book starts a new trilogy featuring Aly, the daughter of Alanna the Lioness. Aly wants to be a spy, she has learned about spying from her father, but both her mother and father see it as too dangerous a task for a teenage girl. Aly travels to visit family friends and is taken by slavers to another country where she is caught up in plots by a trickster god and finds uses for her spying abilities.
Pierce is popular with both boys and girls. Her fantasies are always cleanly written. Kids will enjoy this new character and a change from mages and knights. One to hand to teens who enjoy battles, magic and fantasies.

The National Book Foundation today announced the five finalists for the young people’s literature category. They are
Paul Fleischman — Breakout
Polly Horvath — The Canning Season
Jim Murphy — An American Plague
Richard Peck — The River Between Us
Jaqueline Woodson — Locomotion

NPR : Weekend Edition for Sunday, October 12, 2003
This NPR show offers two sections of interest to children’s lit fans. First is an interview with Peter Sis who just became a MacArthur Fellow this year. The second is an interview with Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. The interviews can be found lower on the page and are in audio format.

Choosing Children’s Software
We are starting a circulating collection of software in our library, and I am searching for sites that review software. There are lots of sites for games for older ages, but I was having trouble finding ones for kids. Then I found this site. If you click on the reviews tab at the top of the page, you will find you can search their past reviews by software title.
If anyone knows of other sites that review software for kids (with no sign-up fee), please post them to the comments.

www.BetsyByars.com
This official site is now being updated more regularly. Though they promise monthly messages directly from the author, the last one posted was in May.

TheStar.com – Farting Dog author smelled a hit from Day 1
Now this is one that I somehow missed. I will have to dig up a copy from another library to see what all the fuss is about.
Via [places for writers].

The Shape Game by Anthony Browne (0-374-36764-7)
If you enjoyed Zoo by Anthony Browne, this book features the same quirky and very realistically presented family. This time the family visits an art museum, allowing the reader to travel right along with them listening to the comments of the family and enjoying the art along the way.
This book will remind kids that their family with all of its quirks is perfectly normal and that they can go to grand art museums and decode paintings or enjoy sculptures too. This book will get elementary age children inspired just as a visit to the art museum inspired Browne as a child.

Baby Business by Mittie Cuetara (0-525-47026-3)
This humorous look at babies through short four-line poems will get you giggling. Appropriate for parents and older siblings, the charm and different personalities of babies are captured with unerring accuracy. A great lap-share book for children who aren’t babies anymore.