Some New Books for September

Wild Card

by Tiki and Ronde Barber with Paul Mantell

Tiki and Ronde have entered the eighth grade season for the Hidden Valley Eagles, and everything is working out for the team. Everyone is getting along with each other and the coach. The boys believe that they will make it into the play-offs. Then when report cards go out, it is bad news. The kicker, Adam Costa, receives a bad grade and is put on the bench. The team believes that they have lost their shot at the play-offs. Will this be the first time in seven years that the Eagles are not in the play-offs? Will the team be able to help Adam improve his grades by studying together?

Grand Canyon National Park: Adventure, Explore, Discover
by Doreen Gonzales

This nonfiction book contains facts about the canyon, how the canyon was made, the park itself, the plants and animals that live there, and the challenges that the park faces. There are many beautiful pictures of the park, the canyon, and the plants and animals that can be found there throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, there is a map of the park, and at the end of the book, there is a website listed that has links to other websites with information about the Grand Canyon and the Grand Canyon National Park. There is even a glossary at the very end of the book.

Stagecoach Sal: Inspired by a True Tale
by Deborah Hopkinson and pictures by Carson Ellis

Sal is a young girl who loves to sing and ride with her father on the stagecoach while taking the mail and passengers from one place to another. The passengers and horses also enjoy her singing. Then one day, her father is stung by hornets, and it is up to Sal to get the mail where it needs to go. Her parents are afraid for her, because there is a bandit named Poetic Pete out there who likes to hold up stagecoaches. Sal knows, though, that Poetic Pete is incredibly polite and will not talk while a lady is talking. Then she sees a man in the road that needs a ride. She knows it is Poetic Pete, but she has a plan. Will her plan work? Will she be able to get the mail to town safely? This story is based on the life of Delia Haskett Rawson, who was the first woman to carry the mail by stagecoach in California. There is more information about Delia Haskett Rawson at the end of the story. The author even lists a website where you can go to hear some of Sal’s favorite songs.

Camping with the President
by Ginger Wadsworth and illustrated by Karen Dugan

This easy reader book is about the time when Theodore Roosevelt, after having read John Muir’s book Our National Parks and having read other books about nature, decided to go visit Yosemite and camp with John Muir. He also wanted to talk to John Muir about the park and Muir’s conservation ideas. Roosevelt was amazed by the beauty of the park and the giant sequoias, and was unhappy to see that some had been cut down. They camped for three days, and then Roosevelt thanked Muir for a great time and went back to Washington. The author writes about Roosevelt and Muir and their communication with one another. She also mentions that her story came from one eyewitness record of the trip. She also lists books that both men wrote themselves and books that are about them.