July 3, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | This Week's GRR - Books for Young Readers
| | | | | This week's Grass Roots Reader is focusing on books for readers of all ages. There's a wonderful assortment of fine reading for younger readers available — ranging from fantasy to dramatic novels. So, for the young, or young at heart, have fun reading about these fine books that ordinarily don't make it into the GRR. Tiff is very knowledgeable about children's literature, so come by and talk to her if you need special recommendations.
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| Five Good Books for Readers of All Ages
| | | | House of Many Ways: The Sequel to Howl's Moving Castle
Gone
The Search for the Red Dragon: Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica
The Willoughbys
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
| | House of Many Ways: The Sequel to Howl's Moving Castle Diana Wynne Jones
Age Range: 12 and up
Here's the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, a riff on English and German fairytales. In the Arabian Nights-themed House of Many Ways, imagination is always vivid, characters feel real, and the tales hold both humor and heart. Sheltered teenager Charmain Baker is sent by her family to house-sit for a distant relative, the royal wizard. She finds that his residence has magical rooms and hallways and soon learns that there is trouble in the seemingly peaceful kingdom of High Norland. Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: HarperCollins, ISBN-13: 9780061477959
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Michael Grant
Age Range: Young Adult
It is all over in the blink of an eye. One moment there are adults, and the next everyone over fourteen is gone. Where did they go? Are they coming back? In a short time, the kids realize that they are on their own, and the situation devolves into chaos and fear. Part Kid Nation and part Left Behind, with just a dash of Cain and Abel, the story has skillful pacing and deals with complex issues — from peer pressure to the science of nuclear power. Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: HarperCollins, ISBN-13: 9780061448768
| | | | | | The Search for the Red Dragon: Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica James A. Owen
Age Range: Young Adult
In this second volume of Owen's Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, John, Jack, and Charles are reunited nine years after their earlier adventures in Here, There Be Dragons. They have been brought together again to solve a mystery: someone is kidnapping the children of the Archipelago. And their only clue is a mysterious message delivered by a strange girl with artificial wings: "The Crusade has begun." Worse, they discover that all of the legendary Dragonships have disappeared. Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's; ISBN-13: 9781416948506 
Book 1: Here, There Be Dragons is available in paperback.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ISBN-13: 9781416912286
$9.99
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Lois Lowry
Age Range: 6 to 12
This kiddie-Gothic novel is a take-off on famous "orphan" novels such as Pollyanna, Oliver, James and the Giant Peach, and Hansel and Gretel. It is a twisted tale of parents ignoring their children and trying to get rid of them, and children who dislike their parents so much that they wish they were orphans. Replete with a tongue-in-cheek glossary and bibliography, this hilarious parody pays playful homage to classic works of children's literature. Hardcover, $16.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company; ISBN-13: 9780618979745
| | | | | | The Adoration of Jenna Fox Mary E. Pearson
Age Range: Young Adult
Jenna Fox, 17, awakens from an 18-month-long coma following a devastating accident, her memory nearly blank. Jenna can recite passages from Thoreau yet can't remember having any friends. She attempts reorientation by watching videos of her childhood, but mysteries proliferate. This fascinating novel takes readers on a journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Hardcover, $16.95
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; ISBN-13: 9780805076684
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| New in Paperback For Readers of All Ages
| | | | Call Me Hope
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Dragonsdale (Dragonsdale Series #1)
Atherton: The House of Power (Atherton Series #1)
The New Policeman
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Gretchen Olson
Age Range: 8 to 12
Hope Elliot is an 11-year-old girl struggling to live under the pressures of her verbally abusive mother. But instead of running away, she chooses resilience, and creates a support team. Deeply affected by their kindness and inspired by Anne Frank's diary, Hope gradually begins to believe in herself. Her courage will inspire and console readers of all ages. Paperback, $5.99
Publisher: Little Brown Bks Young Readers; ISBN-13: 9780316012393
| | | | | | Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports James Patterson
Age Range: Young Adult
The final book in this sci-fi adventure series about young people with wings has arrived. There's one last chance to save the world in the finale of the turbocharged Maximum Ride series, and James Patterson pushes things into high gear. Although it is the third installment, those who have not read the previous two books will find it easy to catch up and become hooked. Paperback, $7.99
Publisher: Little Brown Bks Young Readers; ISBN-13: 9780316154277
| | | | | | Dragonsdale (Dragonsdale Series #1) Salamanda Drake
Age Range: 9 to 12
Fantasy-minded girls with a love for horses will like this story, first in a planned series. It uses the structure and tone of a horse-training tale, but features dragons instead. Dragonsdale is a riding school run by Cara’s dad. Cara loves spending time with the beautiful beasts. But ever since her mom’s terrible accident, she has been forbidden to ride. Against her father’s wishes, Cara trains the wild dragon Skydancer in secret, and dreams of a day when she, too, can take flight. Paperback, $6.99
Publisher: publisher; ISBN-13: 9780545034036
| | | | | | Atherton: The House of Power (Atherton Series #1) Patrick Carman
Age Range: 8 to 12
Edgar, a gifted climber, secretly scales the treacherous walls separating the three worlds of Atherton. While searching the forbidden cliffs for a treasure lost in his faded memory, Edgar discovers the first of many startling revelations to come: the three realms are beginning to collapse, turning the world inside out. Atherton is not what it seems, but something far more dangerous! Paperback, $5.99
Publisher: Little Brown Bks Young Readers; ISBN-13: 9780316166713 
Rivers of Fire (Atherton Series #2) is available in hardcover.
Publisher: Little Brown Bks for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780316166720
$16.99
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Kate Thompson
Age Range: Young Adult
Winner of both the Whitbread Children's Book Award and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, Thompson's novel, first published in Great Britain in 2005, is now available in the United States. J.J Liddy is an Irish teen whose world is changing in disturbing ways: quite simply, there is no longer enough time for anything. Thompson offers an explanation for the frantic pace of contemporary life: time is leaking from our world into the world of the fairies. J.J. goes through a portal between the two worlds to see if he can resolve the time leakage that menaces both. Paperback, $8.99
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; ISBN-13: 9780061174292 
The sequel, The Last of the High Kings is available in hardcover.
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-13: 9780061175954
$16.99
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| Music
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Canadian Brass $16.95
Genre: Classical
The prolific classical ensemble reissues two of its earlier crossover albums. Jazz Roots includes tunes by Joplin, Satie, and Donald Eugene Gillis, arranged for the brass quintet. (Most of these pieces were originally written for piano.) Hear samples of Jazz Roots at allmusic.com
| Chant: Music for the Soul The Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz $16.95
Genre: Classical
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Feufollet $10.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Blend traditional Cajun quite heavily with Americana and you have the concept behind Feufollet and Cow Island Hop. Like Amadan for the Louisiana crowd, Feufollet faithfully reproduces traditional Cajun faire, but overlays it with electric guitars, organ and a young joie de vivre absent from many traditionalists. Whether traditional or original, all tunes are sung in French, many tracing their origins back to Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase.  Recommended if you like: Red Stick Ramblers, Steve Riley
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Los Lonely Boys $13.9
Genre: Pop/Folk
| Stardust: 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition Willie Nelson $24.95 (2 CDs)
Genre: Pop.Folk
Thirty years ago, Willie Nelson surprised his country fans with an album of tunes from the American Songbook. Stardust remained on the charts for years, and contributed to Nelson's reputation as a great interpreter. This re-mastered Legacy edition includes a second CD that gathers Nelson's recordings of other standards from his long career. Hear samples of Stardust at allmusic.com
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| | We're IndieBound!
| | | | | We've lost our Book Sense (but not our sense of humor), and now we're IndieBound! With a new name and an exciting locally-focused, community-oriented campaign, BookSense has evolved into IndieBound. If you've missed the monthly Book Sense Picks, they're still around — just renamed the Indie Next List. Pick up the July '08 Indie Next List at the front desk to find great new reads recommended by independent booksellers around the country. You can visit www.indiebound.org to learn more, or stop by the store and talk to any of us. And, if you have a 2008 I-card, selected titles from the current Indie Next List receive 10% discount plus stamps! | | | | ^ back to Table of Contents | |
| Reading Group News
| | | | | Next meeting: Tuesday, August 5, 6:30-9:00 pm, in the cozy Grass Roots loft.
Book: The Brief Wondrous Live of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz No experience or membership necessary: first-timers always welcome! Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight Dominican ghetto nerd. Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fuku – the curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and ill-fated love. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of his family, displaying warmth, humor, and insight into the Dominican–American experience. "...a wondrous first novel that is so original it can only be described as Mario Vargas Llosa meets "Star Trek" meets David Foster Wallace meets Kanye West. – New York Times  Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9781594489587
On sale for $21.21 (15% discount) until August 5.
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| | On Our Nightstands
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Jack: The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein Hardcover, $HC
Sandy:
Comfort Food
Kate Jacobs
Hardcover, $24.95
Tiffany:
Letters to the Valley: A Harvest of Memories
David Mas Masumoto
Paperback, $14.95
Melody and Corinne:
The Brief Wondrous Live of Oscar Wao
Junot Diaz
Hardcover, $24.95
Anna:
Dirty Diplomacy: The Rough and Tumble Adventures of a Scotch Drinking, Skirt Chasing, Dictator Busting and Thoroughly Unrepentant Ambassador Stuck on the Frontline of the War Against Terror
Craig Murray
Hardcover, $26.00
Linda:
The Maytrees
Annie Dillard
Paperback, $13.95
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