Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

Lynn: I am fascinated by stories of an artist’s journey and how better to tell that story than through illustration!  Renown illustrator Allen Say tells his story from his early years in Japan to his immigration to the United States with text, pen and ink drawings, watercolor paintings and family photographs.  Drawing from Memory (Scholastic [...]

Cindy: I’ve read a few teen biographies about pop culture artist Andy Warhol but I have to admit I went into Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol (Henry Holt 2011) thinking, what? A picture book biography for young children of the controversial Warhol? I needn’t have worried. Obviously, Christensen left out some of the details of Warhol’s [...]

Cindy: As I said last week, while Lynn is spending the month in France I am soothing my travel lust with literature. To Timbuktu: Nine Countries, Two People, One True Story (Roaring Brook 2011) is just the ticket! I admire adventurous people and these two young adults spin a good tale about their travels. Casey [...]

Lynn:  My family are zoo and museum-addicts.  I freely admit it and will further admit that we have sometimes eschewed a famous site or two for the pleasure of going to yet another zoo or crazy museum.  So I was instantly drawn to Strange Creatures:  The Story of Walter Rothschild and His Museum (Disney/Hyperion 2011).  [...]

Lynn: I love books that start out with warnings to the reader!  “The Editors” caution us on the first page: Be advised that the author of this book, Huckleberry Finn, is NOT A WRITER! The stage is set, the tone established and the fun begins as Huckleberry Finn himself (with considerable help from Robert Burleigh [...]

Lynn: I’ve always loved biographies but I have a special admiration for the brave souls who take on much admired  – and written about – subjects.  There have been so many books about the fascinating Amelia Earhart and I started Amelia Lost:  The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart (Random/Schwartz & Wade 2011) with my [...]

Lynn: If “ewww gross” is your idea of high praise then How They Croaked:  The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous (Walker, March 2011) is the book for you!  The opening pages issue this warning: Warning: If You Don’t Have the Guts for Gore, Do Not Read This Book I’d advise the squeamish among us [...]

Cindy: When I saw Come See the Earth Turn (Tricycle Press 2010) I knew I had to read it. My daughters both recently graduated from Grand Haven High School (Mich.) a school that has a Foucault pendulum in it’s main entry. I’ve often joked that it was installed there to remind the students each morning [...]

Cindy: Young readers who hear music in street noises or other environmental sounds will appreciate this look at the formative years of guitar legend, Jimi Hendrix. The first thing readers may notice about  Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow (Clarion, 2010) is the stunning artwork by Javaka Steptoe. He walked in the legendary steps of Jimi through the old [...]

Cindy: I am so grateful for Margarita Engle’s recent books that shed light on Cuba’s history. The Poet Slave of Cuba (2006) and 2009′s Newbery Honor book The Surrender Tree were both excellent, but The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba ( Henry Holt, 2010) is my favorite to date due to its themes. [...]