Adams, Jean Eckman. Clarence and the Purple Horse Bounce into Town (Rising Moon, 15.95). Another appearance by Sophie’s favorite fictional character! (ages 5-8).

Ardagh, Philip. Dreadful Acts (Holt, 12.95) May. Poor Eddie Dickens returns in a new adventure where he is captured by convicts who want him to do ‘a little job.’ His mad Aunt Maud, with the help of the stuffed stoat, manages to save the day. The second in a delightfully loony series. (ages 9-adult)

Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light (Harcourt, 17.00) May.  A remarkable debut  that is an original combination of historical mystery and coming of age novel, about a girl from a hardscrabble farm in upstate New York, who spends the summer of 1906 working in the resort where the crime that inspired Dreiser’s American Tragedy took place. (Young adult).

Hautman, Pete. Sweet Blood (SS, 16.95) May. Lucy has always been in control of her life and her diabetes, but lately everything is slipping away. Then she meets a man who says he is a vampire and things get very strange. This is a book that really illuminates the problems that chronically ill kids face as they reach adolescence.  I highly recommend it. (Young adult).

Heyes, Eileen. Tough Act to Follow (SS, 4.99) May. The second in the series starring two 1930s child actors who set out to find a missing treasure. (ages 9-12)

Knight, Alanna. The Royal Park Murder (10.95) May. The first in a series set in Edinburgh and featuring Ann Kelty, the daughter of a bookstore owner, who is suspected of murder. (Young adult).

Leavey, Peggy Dymond. The Deep End Gang (Napoleon, 6.95) May. When his family moves to a small town, Martin and his new friends become interested in the unsolved disappearance if a neighbor man. (Ages 9-12).

Rylant, Cynthia. The High-Rise Private Eyes #6: The Case of the Fidgety Fox (Greenwillow, 14.99) May. Crime solvers Bunny Brown and Jack Jones need to find the bus driver’s lucky fuzzy dice or he will not move! A funny caper series for beginning readers.

2002
Allende, Isabel. Ciudad de las Bestias (City of the Beasts) (HarperCollins, 19.95). November.  A magical story of survival and adventure.While his mother is struggling with cancer, a fifteen year old boy tracks after his fearless grandmother through the rainforest to pursue the mythical City of the Beasts.

Gralley, Jean. Hogula: Dread Pig Of Night (Holt, 6.95 ). August. If you're going to buy one Halloween present this year, let it be Hogula! A hilarious account of a sinister pig, his nightly sojourns, and his quest for friendship. For adults and children of all ages.

Hale, Bruce. This Gum For Hire (Harcourt, 14.00). September. Chet Gecko wants to celebrate when members of Emerson Hicky's football team start disappearing.  Yet Chet, along with his mockingbird partner, Natalie, feel compelled to help when an old nemisis Gila Monster turns up and begs.

Hoff,  Benjamin. The House On The Point (St. Martins, 22.95). October. In this tribute to the Hardy Boys, Hoff reworks The House on the Cliff, paying greater attention to detail and the fleshing out of Franklin W. Dixon's classic characters.

Howe, James. Tales From the House of Bunnicula #3 Howie Monroe and the Doghouse of Doom (S&S, 9.95). September.  Narrated by Howie the dachshund, this tale is about a wizard with a mysterious pain in his leg, and the strange force behind it.

Howe, Valmai. Confessions Of A Pot-Bellied Pig (Woodley and Watts, 10.95). October. Victoria the pot-bellied pig suffers from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and is forced to move to the island of Madagascar in this utterly charming, disarming pig-tale.

Levy, Elizabeth. The Principal's On The Roof (S&S, 3.00). October. The school principal lost a bet and is now spending the morning on the school roof. Only when he gets an attack of sneezes he appears in danger of falling off.  Is this fit of ACHOOs the work of sneezing powder? Fletcher and Jasper investigate.

Wallace, Bill. Coyote Autumn (S&S, 4.99). September. Brad rescues an orphaned coyote pup and tries to keep it secretly from his parents.

_____. Trapped In Death Cave (S&S, 4.99). September. Reissue. When Gary suspects his grandpa was murdered because of a hidden treasure marked in a cave with a curse put on it, he starts a deadly chain of events.

Winterfield, Henry. Detectives In Togas (Harcourt, 5.95). November. Rufus might be writing naughty things about Caius on his Tablet but he's not responsible for tying up his teacher or disfiguring the Temple of Minerva. Only his classmates can detect who is responsible and save him.

_____. Mystery of the Roman Ransom (Harcourt, 5.95). November.  A slave that has been rescued by a group of boys turns out to be a courier with deadly intentions.