Fiendish Deeds by P.J. Bracegirdle - ADVISABLE

Bracegirdle, P.J. Fiendish Deeds (The Joy of Spooking #1), 224 p. McElderry (Simon), 2008.

EL - ADVISABLE; MS - OPTIONAL

Joy loves her rambling old house at the top of Spooking Hill where she lives with her younger brother Bryan and her parents. However, she doesn't love the trip to school each day into the town Darlington - a town of strip malls and cookie cutter homes which surround her beloved hill. When Joy catches the word about a planned water park to be built in place of the Spooking bog, she does what she can to thwart the plans, including befriending the scary old lady who makes the swamp her home.

Joy and Spooking feel like a more developed and less psychopathic version of Edgar and Ellen (by Charles Ogden). Kids who want something a little creepy without moving over to full fledged vampire books will enjoy this series.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Skunkdog by Emily Jenkins - ESSENTIAL

Jenkins, Emily Skunkdog, illustrated by Pierre Pratt. Farrar, Strauss and Giroux (Macmillan), 2008. PICTURE BOOK.

Pre-K, EL (K-3) – ESSENTIAL

Dumpling, a.k.a. Skunkdog, is a delightful pet, but her nose isn’t as great as she is; she can’t smell anything. Dumpling and her family move to a new place where she meets a new black and white friend that she is determined to keep.

The illustrations are so adorable that I wanted to have Dumpling and the skunk for my own regardless of the smell. Loneliness and acceptance are subjects that most kids understand. It begs to be read to someone!

Reviewer: Kami, Children’s Librarian.