Friday, July 31, 2009

Diary of a Wimpy Kid


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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
(Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #1)
by Jeff Kinney
ISBN 0810993139
Abrams, Harry N. Inc., 2007
Graphic Novel
224 pages
9+
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Annotation: Greg always has a tough time wherever he goes. But he can always solve his problems with some sneaky plots.

Summary: Greg is having a tough time in school and at home. Both of his brothers are annoying him because his older brother is forever pounding his heart out in his drum set and his younger brother always finds out how to put blames on Greg. At school, bullies are forever picking on kids including Greg. There was also a curse of the cheese going around the school. Then one day, Greg and his friends are caught by a bully and they are forced to eat the cheese. Greg cleverly sneaks his way out of the problem by saying he is allergic to dairy. His friend might be out of luck, but I am not saying that his is and I am not saying that he will not be. Read the book to find out what will happen.

Critique: The book was good because it was funny. It wasn't that good because Greg always used some clever yet sneaky way to get his ways and it might not be a good influence to others. Greg was kind of annoying because he took his friend for granted.

Biography: Jeff Kinney is an online game developer and designer and is the author of the New York Times bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Once he conceived the concept for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kinney devoted nearly six years to developing the storyline and artwork. Fashioned as a journal with appealing, expressive stick figure drawings on every page, Diary is narrated in the pitch-perfect (and hilariously deadpan) voice of a not-always-likeable but totally believable tweener named Greg Haffley.
[1]

If you want to know more about Jeff Kinney, visit the website at http://www.wimpykid.com/.

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

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Dork Diaries
by Rachel Renee Russell
ISBN 1416980067
New York: Aladdin, 2009
Graphic Novel

282 pages
12+
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Annotation: A Fourteen-year-old girl who named Nikki Maxwell writes and sketches in her diary about her struggle to be popular at her new private school, and about to give up on being part of the elite group, before figuring out a way to simply to be herself.
Summary: Nikki has moved to a new school and has made new friends, meets a mean girl and her group, and developes a new crush. Will a mean girl stop Nikki from entering an art contest? And will her crush notice her? With her friends encouraging her, she gains the support and energy to face this new school. Follow her adventures in this smashing book.

Critique: This book was smashing because it was in diary form so it was interesting and funny to read. There were also pictures to enhance the words. The book wasn't that good because some illustrations were scary like the hoodie without the face. Nikki was interesting since the people and objects she drew in her diary were not just stick figures (well, most of the time it was not). This book was eye catching in the bookstores. It looked a lot like The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which was a good book, so I started to read it. It turned out to be funny, interesting, and exciting. I especially liked her drawings.

Biography: Rachel Renee Russell is an attorney who prefers writing children's books to legal briefs. She lives in Aldie, VA. [1]
You can know more about her by visiting her website: http://www.dorkdiaries.com/



Thursday, July 30, 2009

Little Brother



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Little Brother
by Cory Doctorow
ISBN 9780765319852
Tom Doherty Associates Book
Science Fiction

384 pages
12+
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Annotation: Little Brother is realistic, timely, and fun novel. It won the 2009 White Pine Award[1] and 2009 Prometheus Award[2]. This book is also a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel[3].

Summary: Marcus, “win5ton and M1k3y”, is a seventeen year old who goes to high school. One day, the bay bridge was blown up by terrorists and Marcus is wrongfully thrown into a type of jail that is not really a jail by The Department of Homeland Security. When he is released, one of his friends is missing. After the attack, the city decided to put up FasTracks that can track wherever you go and whenever you go. It makes the whole city feel paranoid. Many people are being pulled aside just because they went to Berkeley at 9 pm! Others are being taken to jail because of suspicious activities that weren’t suspicious at all! After hearing this, Marcus decides to fight back for his country. Can one little teenager be able to stand up for the rights of an entire country?

Critique: Marcus was very smart and all knowing in the book. I didn’t understand parts of the book because of the advanced technology vocabulary. When they explained about the codes and Xnet, I got very confused. The book had a lot of feelings and it used a lot of details, such as when he was being tortured, to make the readers understand how the characters felt.

Biography: Cory Doctorow is a coeditor of Boing Boing and the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He writes columns for Make, Information Week, the Guardian online, and Locus. He has won the Locus Award three times, been nominated for the Hugo and the Nebula, won the Campbell Award, and was named one of the Web’s twenty-five influencers by Forbes magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He hopes you’ll use technology to change the world.
You can learn more about him by visiting the website at:

Beneath My Mother's Feet



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Beneath My Mother’s Feet
ISBN 1416947280
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
2008
208 pages

Multicultural Fiction
12+
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Annotation: Which path should you take when faced with the choice between your own dreams and the needs of the people you love most?
Summary: Nazia is very obedient to her mother and she follows the tradition of India until her father is injured in an accident. She drops out of school to help her mother which leaves her in jeopardy for marriage. Will she marry or will she follow her heart's path?

Critique: This book is a wonderful coming-of-age story which takes place in Pakistan. Nazia is a dutiful daughter. She never question the fact that she will soon be married off and have to tend to her husband’s house, until her dowry is stolen, her family is kicked out of their house and her father abandon them. This book is about following the passions of your own and making the impossible happen.

Biography: Amjed Oamar graduated from The Ohio State University with degrees in English and psychology. She currently resides in Ohio and works for the Dublin City School District. Amjed lived in Pakistan for several years and returns regularly. This is her first book.
[1] You can know more about her by visiting her website:
http://www.amjedqamar.com/

[2] http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beneath-My-Mothers-Feet/Amjed-Qamar/e/9781416947288/?itm=1

[3] Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9781416947288


Girl Overboard (S. A. S. S. Series)


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Girl Overboard
(S.A.S. S. Series)
by Aimee Ferris
ISBN 0142507992
Penguin Group, 2007
Contemporary Life
228 pages
12+
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Annotation: Marina goes on a huge field trip around the Bahamas! She interacts with several marine animals and meets new friends aboard including a cute Australian boy.

Summary: Marina has enrolled into S.A.S.S., or Students Across the Seven Seas and has been accepted into the program. She goes on an adventure in the Bahamas, the Bay Islands, and the Dominican Republic. In each destination, she interacts with dolphins, sea turtles, and whale sharks. During her journey she struggles with her relationship with her boyfriend back at her home in Vermont while falling in love with an Australian student aboard S.A.S.S.

Critique: This is a great book because it takes you on a journey through words. They really described the places well. Marina was my favorite character because she really enjoyed working with the animals and she seemed down to earth and not stuck up like some girls in the program.

Biography: Aimee Ferris spent five sun-soaked years in the Caribbean, where she trained dolphins, swam with whale sharks, transplanted sea turtle eggs, did well over a thousand SCUBA dives… and only fell overboard one. Visit her at
http://aimee-ferris.livejournal.com/

Dial L for Loser: A Clique Series #6


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Dial L for Loser (Clique Series #6)
by Lisi Harrison
ISBN 0316115045
New York: Little, Brown Books, 2006
272 pages
Young Adult
Contemporary Life
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Annotation: When the PC (Pretty Committee) goes to a talk show, they never expected to become Hollywood Royalty.

Summary: Meet Massie, Dylan, Alicia, Kristen, and Claire, the members of the Pretty Committee (a.k.a. the PC). Dylan’s mom has a famous TV show called the Daily Grind which interview stars. One day, Dylan learns that Abby and Hadley is doing an interview for her mom for a movie that is coming out starring both of the girls. This is special since Hadley can not stand Abby and always refuses to do an interview with her. Dylan invites the PC to come and see the show. During the show, Abby pours tomato sauce on Hadley and Hadley quits the movie. Rupert, the director borrows Massie’s phone because his cell is ringing off the hook. He never gave it back, but the next day, Rupert invites Massie and her friends except for Dylan, to audition for a part in the movie. Since the PC is expelled from their school (read about it in the Pretty Committee Strikes Back), they have time to do the auditions. Alicia, Massie, and Claire are allowed to go. Who will get the part?

Critique: This book was awesome because I loved the details and the way the author described the room that Massie, Alicia, and Claire stayed in, the private jet that took them to LA, and the kind of outfits that they wore. The dialogue was great and had a lot of smart sayings in it. I liked Claire the most because she was the most innocent of the group. Massie was cool too because she figured out a lot of clever sayings such as…”Do you need a knife?” “No, why?” “So you can cut the cheese!”

Biography: Lisi Harrison was the Senior Director of Production Development at MTV, Music Television, and was responsible for creating and developing original programming for air on MTV. Ms. Harrison also served as Head Writer for MTV Production and before that she had her own column in JANE Magazine. She lives in New York City and is currently working full time on her seventh Clique novel.
[1] You can know more about Lisi Harrison by visiting her website: http://www.lisiharrison.net/lisi_harrison.html

Flush

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Flush
By Carl Hiaasen
ISBN 0375921826
New York: Knopf Books, 2005
264 pages
12+
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Annotation: Noah's dad gets jailed for trying to sink a ship that was illegally polluting the waters. Noah is determined to follow in his dad's footsteps successfully to make the Coral Queen (the ship that was polluting the waters) disappear for good with help from his sister and a friend.

Summary: When Noah's dad gets sent to jail for sinking a boat that was polluting the waters, Noah decides to fight back to save those fishes! He teams up with Shelly, Lice, and his sister Abby to stop the polluting ship once and for all. Along the way, they find trouble but a mysterious person turns up to help them. Who is the person? And will Noah's plan work or will it go down the drain?
Critique: I liked this book because Noah did everything he could to prevent the boat from polluting the waters. He was determined and I think it is a good character trait to have. There was also mystery in mixed in the book. The bad part was that there was excitement then no excitement then excitement again. Noah was adventurous and hard working so it made him a great character to have in the book. Abby, his sister, was also cute because even though she was a girl, she was strong both physically and mentally.

Biography: In his thrilling and hilarious mysteries, Carl Hiaasen does for the Florida Coast what Raymond Chandler did for L.A., embracing it in all its steamy surrealness, and elevating it to a kind of iconographic literary landscape.

Here is his official website: http://www.carlhiaasen.com/index.shtml

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Nobody's Princess



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Nobody’s Princess
by Esther Friesner
ISBN 9780375875281
New York: Random House, 2007
305 pages
Young Adult
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Annotation: Helen of Sparta practices sword fighting, horseback riding, and hunting instead if doing things a girl in Sparta would normally do like sewing and carding wool. All the training was put to good use when she goes on an adventure with her brothers.
Summary: The beautiful Helen of Sparta is determine not to be girl that fusses over her looks and cards wool. Instead, she sneaks out to practice fighting with swords and spears, hunting, running, riding on horses, and even engages in a deadly battle with a boar (not alone thank goodness). Not your typical type of girl during that period but that is Helen for you!

Critique: This book was great because it was adventurous, and showed that girls don't have be who people think they are. The downside of this novel was that there was too much bloodshed so it made me feel sick. I loved Helen because she was headstrong and she did not do what others thought was proper. She stuck to her own goals and achieved them. Overall it was a great book.

Biography: Nebula Award winner Esther Friesner is the author of 31 novels and over 150 short stories, including the story "Thunderbolt" in Random House's Young Warriors anthology, which lead to the creation of Nobody's Princess. She is also the editor of seven popular anthologies. Educated at Vassar College and Yale University, where she taught for a number of years, Friesner is also a poet and a playwright. She is married, is the mother of two, harbors cats, and lives in Connecticut.

Girl with a Pearl Earring



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Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
ISBN 052594527X
Dutton Book, 2000
233 pages
Adult
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Annotation: When Gerit goes to work for Vermeer and his family, she never expected to be a model for a painting.

Summary: Griet’s father was blinded while making tiles. After he was blinded, he sent his son to be an apprentice in the same place where he worked. They still didn’t have enough money so they hired out Griet as a maid to the Vermeer’s. There, she cooks, go shopping for fish and meat, does the laundry until her hands are chapped, and most importantly, cleans Vermeer’s room. There is a catch though. Everything she cleans in the room has to be placed back exactly as it was when she lifted it up. Not an inch, centimeter, millimeter, or speck farther or nearer. One day, a visiting friend comes and takes a liking to Griet. He orders Vermeer to paint a picture of her for him to keep so he can always look at her. Vermeer agrees to paint a picture of her. After the picture is done, he looks at it. Something is missing. Then he sees the problem. He tells Griet to pierce her ears and put on earrings to complete the painting. Without the earrings, he says, the picture is incomplete. Will she dare to pierce her ears?

Critique: This book was historical fiction so there really was a painting painted of Griet. It tells us why there was a piece of cloth hanging from the otherwise neat cap. It also tells us why she has pearls and a blue and yellow cap. The book had many parts that were amusing such as when he painted her or when she went to the meat stalls. I again learned that people wear their hair down, in caps, or with ribbons in that time period. When I first spotted it, I thought the cover looked peculiar so I read the book. I found out the book was about the painting and how the painting developed over time.

Biography: Tracy Chevalier made her first bold stroke on the canvas of the literary world with 1999's Girl with a Pearl Earring, which took readers inside the mysterious Vermeer painting of the same name. Her fascination with art and history saturates her work, bringing it to vibrant life
.

[1] You can know more about Tracy Chevailier by visiting her website: http://www.tchevalier.com/

Marie, Dancing



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Marie, Dancing
by Carolyn Meyer
ISBN 0152051163
New York: Gulliver Books, 2005
272 pages
12+
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Annotation: Marie and her family are suffering because her mother is drinking all the time and Marie’s older sister spends all her money on expensive cloth. Then, Marie is asked to model for Degas, a famous artist, and finally earns money to support her family.

Summary: After Marie's father dies, life becomes harder with her mother drinking and her older sister spending money on her dancing fines. Then, Marie's whole world changes when the famous artist, Degas, makes her his model for a statue called Little Dancer, Age 14. Will her money be enough to support her family? Then, she meets a boy that she has been friends with when they were children. They become sweethearts but will Marie’s lies break them apart? A few days later, Marie goes to eat at a nearby cafĂ©. Suddenly, she hears screams. It is her older sister being arrested because she was stealing a little bit of money from the man that she was going out with. Marie sneaks out of classes during breaks to visit her sister at the jailhouse. There she learns that her sister would not be let out until three months later. She will be kicked out of her dancing school for not attending classes. Marie is risking her place at the school by visiting her sister because she missed several performances. The tests are also coming out. The test is when a panel of judges see you perform and decide if you are good enough to stay. You can get kicked out if you have too many absences or if you dance incorrectly. Will Marie too be kicked out like her sister? Or will she be able to keep her place at the dancing school with the help of a miracle?


Critique: There really is a statue called Little Dancer, Age 14. By reading this book, I saw the process of how the statue was made. This story is a great and excellent story because you can feel Marie's feelings and how she really enjoys dancing. It tells you about the hardship of a ballerina and how they must work extremely hard to become a dancer. There were details in the story that made it more imaginable. This book was a historical fiction so it gave us some information about what life was like back then and what kind of clothes they wore.


Biography:
Carolyn Meyer is the award-winning author of more than forty books for young people, including White Lilacs and Mary, Bloody Mary. She lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

[1] You can know more about Carolyn Meyer by visiting her website at http://www.readcarolyn.com/.

Love, Stargirl



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Love, Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
ISBN 9780375843757
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007
274 pages
12+
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Annotation: Stargirl has moved again into a new neighborhood where she will be homeschooled.

Summary: Stargirl has moved and is making friends. So far, she made friends with Dootsie, Arnold, Charlie, and Perry. Perry seems to like her but Leo might also still like her too. Who will she choose? Despite her adjusting to her new place, she has found her own place to meditate and relax. She is also planning a celebration!

Critique: This book is a great book and I recommend it to everyone because it shows the way Stargirl thinks. Stargirl knew how to make friends. Dootsie was especially brave so I really respected her (except for that one time she threw Stargirl’s prized earrings into the sewer). This book had a lot of adventure and excitement in it.

Biography: Spinelli lives with his wife and fellow writer, Eileen, in Wayne, Pennsylvania. While they write in separate rooms of the house, the couple edits and celebrates one another’s work. Their six children have given Jerry Spinelli a plethora of clever material for his writing. Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal. His latest novel, Stargirl, was a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults.
You can learn more about Jerry Spinelli at: www.jerryspinelli.com.

Stargirl



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Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
ISBN 0679886370
Random House Children’s Books, 2000
192 pages
9+
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Annotation: Stargirl moves to Mica High School and Leo is instantly captivated by her. The longing inside of him that tells him that Stargirl can be a regular girl keeps them apart but Stargirl is willing to make a few sacrifices to save her relationship.

Summary: When Stargirl moves into the neighborhood, Leo can't take his eyes off her. Despite the attraction, Stargirl is a bit stranger than other girls. She carries a ukulele and sings to everyone during their birthdays! She even carries a pet rat around. During the basketball season, she was recruited as a cheerleader for Mica High but during games, she cheered for the other team too. Will Leo learn to accept Stargirl as she is? The book is written in Leo's point of view.

Critique: I recommend this book to everyone because it shows it doesn't matter if you are different. Just be yourself. The book was not that good too because I did not like how Leo did not believe in Stargirl since he did not want to be different and ignored by the students. My favorite character is Stargirl because she was nice to everyone even if they were not nice to her. She even put treats on everyone’s desk during the holidays.

Biography: Spinelli lives with his wife and fellow writer, Eileen, in Wayne, Pennsylvania. While they write in separate rooms of the house, the couple edits and celebrates one another’s work. Their six children have given Jerry Spinelli a plethora of clever material for his writing. Jerry Spinelli is the author of more than a dozen books for young readers, including Maniac Magee, winner of the Newbery Medal. His latest novel, Stargirl, was a New York Times bestseller and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults.


You can learn more about Jerry Spinelli at: http://www.jerryspinelli.com/.

[1]Retrieved the image from: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780679886372


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Luna



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Luna
By Julie Anne Peters
ISBN 0316733695
New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2004
248 pages
Young adult

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Annotation: Liam is your average boy until night time. At night, he transforms into a girl. Luna is the Finalist for the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. This book has also been chosen by the American Library Association for their 2009 Great Stories CLUB.[1]


Summary: Liam is a boy that is talented when it comes to computers. But underneath all this talent, is a girl wanting to come out of her hiding. After several years of embarrassment to his sister, who is the only one who knows besides his mom, Luna shows herself to the world. When Luna finally appears to her friends and family, will they accept her as she is? Or will they shun her for life? This book is written in Luna/Liam's sister's point of view.


Critique: Luna tells us that it is okay to be different. Show the world who you really are. The bad part about this book was that it focused on Regan, Luna's sister, half of the time. Luna was likable because he was afraid to tell his parents and the world about his identity but he still showed his family and friends who he was inside his soul. He was brave. This book is the Finalist for 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. This novel sensitively portrays the life of a transgender teen through the eyes of a sympathetic younger sister.

Biography: Jules Anne Peters is the author of Define “Normal,” an ALA best Book for Young Adults. Winner of the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award. She lives in Lakewood, Colorado. She maintains a Website at http://julieannepeters.com/files/Index.htm#MyBooks

[1] The Great Stories CLUB (Connecting Libraries, Underserved teens and Books) is a reading and discussion program designed to reach underserved and at-risk youth through books that are relevant to their lives.

The Two Princess of Bamarre



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The Two Princess of Bamarre
by Gail Garson Levine
ISBN 0060293152
New York: Harper Collin, 2001
258 pages
12+
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Annotation: Princess Addie's sister has caught the Gray Death, a deathly disease where the victim last for only eleven days after catching it. Princess Addie goes out to find the cure but when she was close to getting it, a certain dragon comes along and ruins her smooth plan.”

Summary: When Princess Addie's sister catches the Gray Death, a fatal death, Addie goes out in search of a cure for her sister's sickness. Along the way, she bumps into a spectator, a person who uses clever ways to lure people to their death. The person who the spectator was pretending to be appeared, so luckily, she wasn't tricked. An ogre lumbered by and spotted her but thanks to her seven leagued boots (who carried her seven steps whenever she lifts a foot) carried her from harm's way. She was almost feasted by gryphon but her magical tablecloth saved her by the pecking beaks. Then she was captured by a dragon. Will she escape so she can save her sister in time or is she toast?

Critique: This book had a lot of adventure in it. It was very tense and kept me on the edge of my seat. At the beginning, there was a part from a famous hero's life book but I didn't know that so it was confusing at first. There were several interesting parts of history (Bamarre History) in it so it was interesting learning about Bamarre. I thought Princess Addie was very brave to search for the cure since her sister was usually the brave one. The two princesses didn't act like princesses so the book suggests to us that not all princesses are snobby and mean like we think. There was also a little romance in the book so it balanced the book out because there was adventure yet there was also love.


Biography: Gail Carson Levine grew up in New York City and has been writing all her life. Her first book for children, Ella Enchanted, was a 1998 Newbery Honor Book. Levine's other books include Fairest; Dave at Night, an ALA Notable Book and Best Book for Young Adults; The Wish; The Two Princesses of Bamarre; and the six Princess Tales books. She is also the author of the nonfiction book Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly and the picture book Betsy Who Cried Wolf, illustrated by Scott Nash. Gail, her husband, David, and their Airedale, Baxter, live in a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley of New York State.