Braille Book Review

July-August 1999
Books for Children--Fiction

Books listed in this issue of Braille Book Review were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains books by many authors on fiction and nonfiction subjects, including animals, geography, nature, mystery, sports, and others. Contact your cooperating library to learn more about the wide range of books available in the collection.

To order books, contact your cooperating library.

This page includes Web-Braille links to full-text braille versions of books. Eligible patrons may sign up for Web-Braille through the library that handles their braille magazine subscriptions.

Liar BR 11668
by Winifred Morris
1 volume
When Alex's flighty, immature mother lies to authorities that her latest beating was by Alex rather than her boyfriend, Alex is put on probation and sent to live on his grandparents' farm. He gradually opens up to them and to a new friend, until another false accusation threatens his new life. For grades 6-9. 1996.

Mr. Ape BR 11754
by Dick King-Smith
1 volume
Mr. Ape is an old man, suddenly free of wife and offspring, living in his family estate, Penny Royal. Happy to make his own decisions, he lives in the kitchen and buys hens to keep in the living room. He befriends Jake and his father, Joe--traveling gypsies who prove to be kindred spirits. For grades 3-6. 1998.

Beethoven in Paradise BR 11764
by Barbara O'Connor
1 volume
Martin lives in the Paradise trailer park with his folks. His dream is to play a musical instrument, but his abusive father thinks music is stupid and insists that Martin play baseball instead. Some strong language. For grades 5-8. 1997.

Go and Come Back BR 11768
by Joan Abelove
1 volume
Alicia tells what happens in her village on the Paro River in Peru when two women anthropologists from New York come to study the community. At first Alicia only observes their odd habits and bad manners, but gradually she becomes their friend and teaches them how to be real people like the villagers. For grades 6-9. 1998.

Walks Alone BR 11775
by Brian Burks
1 volume
Walks Alone, a young Apache girl, tells of her hopes to marry Little Hawk, if they both survive the attacks on their tribe by U.S. soldiers. She describes observing the deaths of her family and friends, being wounded, and finding food and shelter while fleeing. Some violence. For grades 6-9. 1998.

My Louisiana Sky BR 11788
by Kimberly Willis Holt
1 volume
Louisiana, 1950s. Twelve-year-old Tiger Ann Parker begins to feel embarrassed in front of the other kids about the "slowness" of her parents. Her grandmother is the one who keeps the family intact. After Granny dies, Tiger has a chance to move to the city with her sophisticated aunt, but she is reluctant to abandon the parents who love her. For grades 6-9. 1998.

The Secret Box BR 11807
by Gayle Pearson
1 volume
Five interconnected stories about two girls and their sixteen-year-old brothers. In the title story, Taylor Finch receives a secret box for her twelfth birthday, but thinks the thirty-four steps to open it are too much trouble--until she realizes she has some secrets she wants to hide. For grades 4-7. 1997.

Tucket's Ride BR 11810
by Gary Paulsen
1 volume
Francis Tucket is only a few years older than Lottie and Billy, the orphans he rescued in Call Me Francis Tucket (BR 10437). Searching for Oregon, they end up in Mexico territory, right in the middle of the war. Francis kills an American soldier in self defense, landing himself in a mess of trouble. For grades 5-8. 1997.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer BR 11823
by Mark Twain
2 volumes
The escapades and high jinks of schoolboy Tom Sawyer, who lives with his Aunt Polly in a small Missouri town on the Mississippi River. Tom angles for the affections of Becky Thatcher, runs away with Huck Finn and Joe Harper, and tells the truth when it matters. First published in 1876. For grades 6-9 and older readers. 1989.

Zelda and Ivy BR 11866
by Laura McGee Kvasnosky
1 volume
Little foxes Zelda and Ivy are sisters. Zelda, the older, is usually in charge. When they play circus, Zelda announces while Ivy swings on the flying trapeze. And when they decide to try out the latest style--a blue striped tail with scallops, it is Zelda who does the work and Ivy who ends up with a funny-looking tail. For grades 2-4. 1998.

Velcome BR 12005
by Kevin O'Malley
1 volume
Collection of creepy and terrifying stories that also have humorous endings. A young boy is followed home by a coffin, and a young girl home alone keeps getting phone calls from the Viper, who says he is coming up to her apartment. For grades K-3. 1997.

Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod BR 12007
by Robert J. Blake
1 volume
Akiak is the lead dog in Mick's sled team for the ten-day Iditarod race. When she is injured and pulled out of the race, Akiak refuses to quit and instead follows the team on her own. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 1997.

Beautiful Warrior: The Legend of the Nun's Kung Fu BR 12009
by Emily Arnold McCully
1 volume
An emperor raises his daughter, Jingyong, as a son--even educating her in the martial arts. When the dynasty ends, Jingyong seeks refuge in a Buddhist monastery, where she teaches kung fu and is known as the "warrior-nun." Then one day the local bean-curd seller's daughter is ordered to marry a bully she despises, and she turns to Jingyong for help. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 1998.

Two Bad Ants BR 12010
by Chris Van Allsburg
1 volume
Two ants join a sugar expedition, leaving their outdoor world to enter a human's kitchen. They decide to stay near the tasty treasure, but surviving in this new world is full of unexpected dangers. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 1988.

Moses Goes to a Concert BR 12011
by Isaac Millman
1 volume
Moses and his classmates, who are deaf, go to a concert with their teacher. Performing with the orchestra is a percussionist who is also deaf. PRINT/BRAILLE. For grades K-3. 1998.

A Lot of Otters BR 12012
by Barbara Helen Berger
1 volume
A little boy, carrying a book to read, crawls into a box and is soon floating in the sea among the otters. As he reads about Mother Moon looking for her lost moonlet, he becomes part of the story himself. PRINT/BRAILLE. For preschool-grade 2. 1997.


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