"Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon" by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Chris Van Dusen. (Candlewick Press, 101 pages, $12.99.)
The celebrated winner of 47 trophies for her triumphs in staring down bears and capturing everything from dogs to bats, Animal Control Officer Francine Poulet was "never, ever afraid." But that changes when the demanding Mrs. Bissinger asks Poulet to capture a "ghost raccoon" so scary that it seems to scream Poulet's name at the top of a very tall roof. Kate DiCamillo delivers an inspiring message replete with suspense and fun, as a boy's belief in Poulet encourages the animal control maven to face an extraordinary raccoon — and to surmount her fears. Illustrator Chris Van Dusen is in top form here, bringing out characters' personalities and heightening suspense.
"Isabelle Day Refuses to Die of a Broken Heart" by Jane St. Anthony. (University of Minnesota Press, 138 pages, $14.95.)
After her father dies, Isabelle Day has every reason to succumb to a broken heart. Leaving behind her Milwaukee home, school and friends, she moves with her mom to a Minneapolis duplex where both seem to tiptoe through waves of sadness. As Isabelle tentatively reaches out to make new friends at her new school, she also must deal with two very elderly and overly attentive landladies, who press Isabelle to accompany them on an unwelcome cemetery visit. Finally, Isabelle's growing closeness with old and young alike allows exchanges of confidences that prove that refusing to die of a broken heart needn't be just wishful thinking. With love and friendship, it is profoundly possible.
Events: 2 p.m. Nov. 21, Chapter 2 Books, Hudson, Wis.; 1 p.m. Dec. 12, Common Good Books, St. Paul.
"Untwine" by Edwidge Danticat. (Scholastic Press, 303 pages, $16.99.)
In this captivating novel, the loss of a sibling is magnified by the fact that Giselle and Isabelle Boyer are identical twins. Born holding hands, their fingers are also entwined when a car crash kills Isabelle. This situation would be dramatic even in the hands of a lesser writer, but Danticat takes the impact far beyond the circumstantial. By profoundly exploring the richness of the relationship before the crash and sensitively describing the experience of the loss, she endows Giselle's recovery with a redemptive power that becomes intensely believable, inspiring and unforgettable.
"The Hired Girl" by Laura Amy Schlitz. (Candlewick Press, 400 pages, $17.99.)
In this novel told in the form of a 14-year-old's diary, motherless farm girl Joan Skraggs flees her abusive father to find work in a prosperous Jewish household in 1911 Baltimore. In utterly absorbing diary entries, Joan describes working under a demanding housekeeper, learning about Judaism, experiencing a deepening of her own Catholic faith and indulging in a hunger for learning. Her determined earnestness will lead readers to root for her as she stumbles in her position as a hired girl who is sometimes but not always treated warmly by members of her employer's family — including a son who stirs love and longing.
"The Silenced" by James DeVita. (Milkweed Editions, 435 pages, $12.)
Fast-paced and suspenseful, this powerful novel about a teen resisting mind control in a totalitarian society is nothing short of disturbing. And that's a good thing when it makes readers think hard about the fragility of freedom. Very much its own story about an original character called Marena, "The Silenced" has parallels with the true story of Sophie Scholl, a young woman who died resisting the Nazis. Here, Marena — whose mother was killed resisting the rise of the Zero Tolerance Party — draws on her mother's memory and the power of words to resist the tightening stranglehold of that totalitarian regime. Aimed at young adults, and possessing the reach to snare adult readers, too, this is a "1984" for our age.
Rosemary Herbert is a longtime literary critic, former librarian for children and teens and the author of "Front Page Teaser: A Liz Higgins Mystery."
