Published: November 03, 2009 06:58 pm      

11-4 Good Reads: books

EDMOND — ‘PRINCESS HYACINTH (THE SURPRISING TALE OF A GIRL WHO FLOATED)

BY FLORENCE PARRY HEIDE

“Princess Hyacinth” tells the tale of a young princess with a very unique problem. If she’s not weighted down, she floats away.

The king and queen make sure she is held down by a heavy bejeweled crown, and even tiny diamond pebbles are sewn into her socks. But the second she takes off her princess-wear, she’s up in the air again.

Poor Princess Hyacinth longs to play and run outside with the other children, but instead she can only sit inside and watch.

Then one day she gets a fabulous idea — she’ll ask the Balloon Man if she can float up above with his balloons. The view is wonderful, until Princess Hyacinth get untied from the balloons and no one can get her down. She somersaults and dances through the sky, until one very special kite and one very special boy come to the rescue.

Ages 4-8.



‘MUCHACHO: A NOVEL’

BY LOUANNE JOHNSON

Eddie Corazon knows how the world views him. Latino teen. Underprivileged New Mexico student at an alternative school. Destined for prison like the rest of his amigos. And in dire need of

saving.

But when the high school senior stands on the precipice of which way his life will go — to jail or to college — he must decide whether the love of an intelligent young girl, who believes in his ability to choose the right path, can lead Eddie to ultimately believe in himself.

In “Muchacho: A Novel” Eddie sticks by his cousins, his primos, no matter what. But when Eddie witnesses his cousin Enrique’s shooting of a neighborhood thug, the experience haunts him.

These kinds of dark memories, born from a life of poverty, shape the students at Bright Horizons High School into adolescents that the teachers can’t understand. Then a new teacher, Ms. Beecher, comes. She doesn’t try to lecture Eddie or the other students on why they should change, but instead works hard to relate to them.

When Eddie meets Lupe Garcia, everything changes. Lupe’s father is a lawyer, and her own ambition to become a doctor keeps her focused on school. Eddie vows to stop cutting classes and work on improving his grades. He even takes a self-help book from a police officer who visits school. But when that same police officer arrests Eddie only weeks later, Eddie is thrown out of his house and sent to live with his uncle. Can Eddie create a clean-cut reputation for himself at a new school and turn his life around? Or will he lose Lupe, and himself, permanently?

LouAnne Johnson is a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, high school teacher, and the author of “New York Times” bestseller “Dangerous Minds.” She drew on her experience working with teens to craft “Muchacho.”

Ages 14 and up.



‘DARK NIGHT’

BY DOROTHéé DE MONFREID

One dark night, little Felix finds himself walking through the forest alone in his red pajamas. Suddenly, he hears a spooky sound and spots a ferocious wolf sitting by a roaring campfire.

Then Felix’s luck turns from bad to worse when a fierce tiger scares away the wolf. And then a menacing crocodile scares away the tiger.

But fortune smiles on Felix when he finds a mysterious doorknob in the hollow of a tree that leads to the home of a little rabbit. But can something so small and meek help Felix scare away the wild things prowling in the woods?

This empowering picture book is perfect for any child who’s ever wanted to turn the tables on the scary beasts lurking at night.

Ages 3-5.



NOTE: E-mail dpeery@edmondsun.com to have your name entered into a drawing for the following titles: “Muchacho” and/or “Dark Night.” Deadline is 10 a.m. Nov. 9. Winner will be notified by return e-mail. Winner is responsible for picking up the book at The Edmond Sun