Outstanding!

Every month, we post an annotated bibliography of books that were rated ‘Outstanding’ and nominated for our Distinguished List at our previous month’s meeting. Members can see full reviews of these books and many more in the January edition of BayViews.

Picture Books

Who Has This Tail? by Laura Hulbert; illustrated by Erik Brooks
H. Holt, 2012.
With gorgeous, colorful pictures of tails and the animals attached to them, large font, and sparse text this book is sure to prompt enthusiastic responses to the question “Who has this tail?” (Baby/toddler – Grade 1)

Fiction

Prodigy: A Legend Novel by Marie Lu
Putnam, 2013.
Day and June, on the run from the Republic, join forces with the Patriots in their efforts to bring the government down.  This thrilling, action packed book is a strong follow up to Legend (2011), the first book in the trilogy. (Grades 6 – 12)

Nonfiction

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman
Candlewick, 2012.
The lasting friendship of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass is explored in this look at their backgrounds and the many times they conferred and really listened to each other. (Grades 5 – 10)

Feeding the Young Athlete: Sports Nutrition Made Easy for Players, Parents and Coaches by Cynthia Lair and Scott Murdoch; illustrated by Richard Mia
Readers to Eaters, 2012.
This appealing and straightforward guide to nutrition for young athletes gives information, explanations, advice, recipes, and guidelines to foster habits for health, concentration, fitness, and performance. (Grades 6 – 12)

Invisible Microbe Tuberculosis: And the Never Ending Search for a Cure by Jim Murphy and Alison Blank
Clarion, 2012.
An impeccably researched, highly fascinating and definitive biography of the “greatest killer of humans in the history of the world”. Rich back matter, extensive source notes, web resources, and archival photos on almost every page, make this a must-have volume devoted to the medical and social history of a dread disease still among us. (Grades 4 – 6)

– Hayley