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: “Some people think it’s just smelly swamps.”  Yezerski shows us how wrong this notion is in Meadowlands (Farrar 2011) but it wasn’t too long ago that this vibrant ecosystem nestled on the Hackensack River was poisoned and foul.  Illustrated with beautiful water color paintings, Yezersky takes us back to pre-colonial times when the wetlands [...]

Lynn: I think in my next life I’d like to be Sally Walker.  First she’s a terrific writer, second she’s investigating the most fascinating subjects and meeting amazing people and third  she’s turned her curiosity into her work.  How cool is that?  Frozen Secrets:  Antarctica Revealed (Carolrhoda 2010) is the award-winning Walker’s latest book and [...]

Lynn: I am writing about the two new entries in Houghton’s Scientists in the Field series today.  Seriously people – just put this series on standing order and be done with it!  Each book is a treat and you don’t want to risk missing one.  I’m an unabashed fan of the series.  The books focus [...]

Lynn: We have a great friend currently serving on Notable Children’s Book committee that we get together with every month to happily discuss books. Ed Spicer often generously lends us books that we haven’t seen yet. Recently I came home with a whole stack and they were all so enticing I hardly knew where to [...]

Cindy: Who knew garbage could be so much fun? If you’re looking for a different spin on “green” literature, try Here Comes the Garbage Barge! (Random / Schwartz & Wade, 2010). Before I even read the story I was sidetracked by the cover tease telling me to look inside the book jacket to learn how [...]

Lynn: There have been many outstanding books about the Dust Bowl but Marrin’s Years of Dust: The Story of the Dust Bowl (Penguin/Dutton, 2009) is a book that belongs in every public and school library in this country. Even in this year of extraordinary nonfiction, Marrin’s new book stands out with its exemplary writing. Marrin, [...]