Max’s
Magic Seeds, by Geraldine Elschner, and illustrated by Jean-Pierre Corderoch,
is a beautiful story about kindness and sharing and how the earth grows richer
with each seed planted! M E R I D I A N M A G A Z I N E
The Best Children’s Books of 2007
By Holly E. Newton
I’ve just compiled my annual list of favorite books from 2007. Even though I only review the best books every week, I still develop my top favorites because they are so good. Most of these books have inspiring messages within them.
I’ll begin with picture books that are great for all ages. Ivan the Terrier, written and illustrated by Peter Catalanotto, is a hilarious interchange between the storyteller and a small terrier that keeps interrupting. 600 Black Spots, by David A. Carter, is a rare look inside a brilliant pop-up artist's most brilliant display! I've never seen anything like his pop-up books and this one is NO disappointment!
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Max’s
Magic Seeds, by Geraldine Elschner, and illustrated by Jean-Pierre Corderoch,
is a beautiful story about kindness and sharing and how the earth grows richer
with each seed planted!
The Story of Roy Campanella, by David A. Adler, is about this inspiring hall-of-famer and how he became the first African-American catcher in the major leagues. This book powerfully displays Campanella’s positive outlook on life even in the midst of negativity. Even when an auto accident left him as a paraplegic, he continued his positive outlook and his concern for helping others! The wonderful oil painting illustrations are by Gordon C. James.
Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the
Underground Railroad, by Ellen Levine, tells about a young slave who
escapes to freedom by mailing himself from the South to
Cherish Today: A Celebration of Life’s Moments, by Cristina Evans, and illustrated by Bryan Collier, encourages us to enjoy all that surrounds us and to take each day one at a time!
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Jesse
Owens: Fastest Man Alive, by Carole Boston Weatherford, and illustrated
by Eric Velasquez, is the amazing account of how a sharecropper’s son and grandson
of a slave became the first African-American to win Olympic gold medals and
show Hitler that color, race and pedigree make no difference!
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The
rest of the books are geared for ages 9 through adult and you won’t be able
to put any of these books down! The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written
and creatively illustrated throughout by Brian Selznick, will most likely be
in the running for this year’s Newbery award. It begins and runs through 45
pages of an illustrated story without words. The ensuing pages connect words
and pictures telling about this imaginative invention.
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Harry
Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J. K. Rowling, is her last book in
this incredible and ever popular series. It would be very hard to continually
top the previous book written and only Rowling has proven time and time again,
that she is a genius.
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The
Mailbox, by Audrey Shafer, is an astonishing mystery about 12-year-old
Gabe, who has left the foster home and gone to live with his estranged uncle.
The mystery lies in who his uncle really is and the unknown person who delivers
letters in their mailbox.
Reaching for Sun, by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, is written in free verse and reflects on a 7th grade girl and her dealing with cerebral palsy.
Peter and the Shadow Thieves, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, is as good as their first book — Peter and the Starcatchers. This magical book takes you back to Peter’s early enchanted days when he’s searching for the magical starstuff that can make you fly and keep you young.
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Weedflower,by
Cynthia Kadohata, is about 12-year-old Sumiko, and her Japanese family, as they
are moved from their flower farm to an internment camp. The story is rich in
lessons of life and how to make the best of everyday living and not discriminate.
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The
Trap, by John Smelcer, is a northern wilderness adventure about how
Grandfather Albert gets caught in a wolf trap as the cold weather worsens and
his life-threatening predicament turns into days of misery.
Jim Thorpe: Original All-American, by Joseph Bruchac, is the inspirational story about how one Native American who was born on a reservation overcame horrific challenges and went on to play professional football, baseball and win Olympic gold in track and field.
Snow Treasure, by Marie McSwigan, is a reissue that’s based on a true account of Norwegian children saving gold bullion from the Nazis during WWII. The illustrations sprinkled throughout are by Mary Reardon.
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Fundorado
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The
Legend of Bass Reeves, by Gary Paulsen, is based on a largely unknown
hero. He was “the most successful federal marshal in the history of the
Yellow Star, by Jennifer Roy, is a
story that needs to be told through all generations. The author gently relates
her aunt’s story about her experience as a Jew in one of the worst concentration
camps in
And for the sports fans, Vanishing Act, by John Feinstein, takes you behind the scene of professional tennis. This terrific mystery takes place at the U. S. Open and the two teenage reporters are attempting to solve the vanishing of one of the tennis stars. Here is another terrific sports mystery by Mr. Feinstein.
Click to Buy
And
last but not least is Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star, by
Brandon Mull. This is the second in the series and won’t disappoint you. The
same brother and sister team are helping their grandpa take care of a mythical
magical refuge but things go awry. If you’ve not read any of
Mull’s fantasies, you’re truly missing out.
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© 2007 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.