If you're looking for Junior Fiction Suggestions, we have some review or summaries our staff has written which might lead you to try some tales you might not know about.

• Lindsay, Norman . . . The Magic Pudding: Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and His Friends Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff (Re-issue of 1918 Australian book)
  No, this is not the funniest book ever written, as Philip Pullman claims in his introduction to the re-issue of this utterly wacky animal-and-people fantasy.  But it is very funny, and you may also speak in verse for a while after reading it.  Our hero is Bunyip Bluegum, a koala bear seeking adventure, which he finds when he hooks up with sailor Bill Barnacle and his chum, Sam Sawnoff, a penguin.  The two have a Magic Puddin' named Albert, a "cut-an'-come-again" Puddin' who talks, loudly and cheekily and often.  The book, divided into four "slices", is mostly the trio's attempts to avoid having the Puddin' stolen by tricky puddin' thieves Possum and Wombat.  All the characters talk often in songs and verses, very clever and very Australian (you won't recognize all the words, but it doesn't matter), and it's a tremendous amount of fun.  You get a fairly full litany of Australian animals, since most of the characters in the tale are animals, each with a character of its own.  It's a real hoot. [Gary Crew]

• Karr, Kathleen . . . The 7th Knot (2003)
  A historical adventure that incorporates art history, German politics before World War I, a family story, and several miraculous inventions into a tale that's compulsively readable.  Albrecht Durer's paintings form a backdrop for skullduggery unearthed by a pair of wealthy American brothers who seem like smarter, cooler Hardy Boys, even though they're operating in the 1890s era.  It's pretty amazing, even if you never quite believe it. [Gary Crew]

• Lieberg, Carolyn . . . West With Hopeless (2004)
  This book is an enjoyable story of sisterly bonding which occurs unexpectedly when 13-year-old Carin has to ride west, from Iowa to Reno, Nevada, with her older half-sister Hope (whom Carin considers "hopeless").  Characters are well-drawn, and the small vignettes of life-on-the-road are fun and enlivening.  Quite a good read [Gary Crew]

• Kelly, Katy . . . Lucy Rose: Here's the Thing About Me (2004)
  Eight-year-old Lucy Rose, who has an "eventful" life, moves with her mom to Washington, D.C. when her parents divorce, to be near her grandparents.  This episodic tale is of Lucy Rose's adjustments, making friends and one enemy (Adam Melon, whom she calls Melonhead), and getting used to living without her father around.  This is a sprightly first novel by Kelly, and she gives Lucy Rose a somewhat Amber Brown-ish voice that's both lively and convincing.  And she does a good job of showing divorcing parents who are obviously intent on making things as easy as possible for their offspring.  Lucy Rose certainly has the potential to become an enjoyable series character for younger girls. [Gary Crew]

You might also wish to check out the
Teen Read Week 2005 nominations and winners.

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