Excerpt: 'Saffy's Angel'
When Saffy learns her mother is actually her aunt she goes in search of the one thing that might really be hers. Read an excerpt from this recommendation for young readers.
Arts
Excerpt: 'The Giant Rat of Sumatra or Pirates Galore'
When a creaking ship, its bowsprit carved in the shape of a snarling rat, pulls into San Diego harbor it carries with it a 12-year-old cabin boy whose only desire is to get home to his family. Reviewer John Kelly calls the story, set in 1846, a "rousing, swashbuckling tale."
Excerpt: 'Mighty Jackie, the Strikeout Queen'
Jackie Mitchell's father told her she could accomplish anything, including playing baseball. The message sunk in. During an exhibition game in Tennessee, the 17-year-old southpaw struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Read an excerpt from this recommendation for young readers.
Excerpt: 'The American Plague'
The author draws on primary sources for this nonfiction book recommended by Washington Post columnist John Kelly, evocatively describing the medical missteps and political infighting that characterized an outbreak of yellow fever in 1793.
Excerpt: 'Bindi Babes'
"Of course we didn't want her," 12-year-old Amber Dhillon says of her Auntie, in this title from our list of summer book picks for kids. "We didn't need her."
Excerpt: 'Hachiko, the True Story of a Loyal Dog'
Reviewer John Kelly recommends this title for readers in first through third grades, the story of a real dog who lived in Tokyo and faithfully waited for his master at the train station, even when the owner could not come to meet him.
Tech Guru Omar Wasow: Winning over a Technophobe
Tech guru Omar Wasow of Blackplanet.com offers up gift ideas for the tech geek in your life. Wasow follows up last week's suggestions for the technophobe in your life.