Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy tells a little-known piece of early 20th century history and race relations through the eyes of two children in a small town in Maine. Lizzie lives on a small island which has been inhabited by ex-slaves for generations. The Parson has a son referred to as the the Buckminster Boy. The Buckminster family is new to the coastal town of Phippsburg. Although there is profound impact on the island residents, the characters are deep and surprising. Hope and redemption remain a possibility beyond the end of the story.

Did you know that December 21 is the anniversary of the first crossword puzzle ever printed? It was compiled by Arthur Wynne for the New York World newspaper in 1913. And that was the beginning of an addiction that drives spouses mad and squanders hours of time perhaps better spent washing the kitchen floor. But we love them and so does Marc Romano, author of Crossworld:One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession. Romano gives us an entertaining history of this pasttime and also gives us a bird's eye view of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament hosted by Will Shortz, creator of the New York Times puzzles. He meets the quirky players, and enters himself the next year. He provides anecdotes, gives tips on competing and even lets us in on the little know fact that Shortz has the only degree in "enigmatology." I don't have a clue.

On December 16, 1944 eight German armored divisions and a total of 250,000 men launched a surprise attack in foggy, rainy weather in the Ardennes Forest initiating what became known as the ‘Battle of the Bulge.’ Ultimately, more than a million men were involved, with nearly 200,000 total casualties inflicted. It was Nazi Germany's last major offensive campaign on the Western Front and briefly succeeded in penetrating up to 65 miles into the allied lines, the so-called 'bulge,' before it was stopped, reversed and the original lines were reestablished by January 21, 1945.

Maleek loves comic books. He is also a superhero. When the city parks disappear Maleek puts on his superhero costume and sets out with his trusty robot Marvyn to find a way to restore the parks. Black and white real life photos capture the wonder and adventure of childhood.

Outside of four new books by well-known authors, there was little movement on the list the last two weeks. 'Tis the season to be scary.

On the 12/4/05 list:
At #1 is Mary, Mary by James Patterson: another nursery rhyme title with Alex Cross chasing an email killer in Hollywood.

At #6 is The Regime:Evil Advances by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins: the second prequel in the Left Behind series continues its harrowing story of the Antichrist.

A clever new children's book Has anyone seen Christmas? by Anne Margaret Lewis, is getting a lot of attention this season. Illustrated by Wendy Popko, this picture book tells what happens when little Emit falls out of Santa's sleigh. The book was published in September by Mackinac Island Press.

The Whitbread Literary Prize, one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious honors to be bestowed on authors, is up for sale.

The Whitbread company, which has sponsored this prize since 1971, has undergone a radical transformation and no longer uses the Whitbread brand on any of its products. This month its Board of Directors announced that, with metamorphosis into the UK’s leading hospitality business, it is time to find a new sponsor. “[Our] number one priority is to find a like-minded organization that shares our vision for this award and is committed to developing and nurturing it.”

Need some ideas for that special reader on your list?

“Reader Perfect” suggestions cover many categories, formats and genres, as well as age groups.

Amazon.com gives you not only the Best Books of 2005, but also the
Top 50 Editors' Picks.

For the wee bookworms on your list, there's the age-appropriate Parents’ Choice Holiday Gift Guide.

And don't forget The New York Times Editor's Choice and the 100 Notable Books of the Year.

A book is a gift you can open again and again. ~ Garrison Keillor

Henrietta the 266-pound chicken is back! In Daniel Pinkwater’s latest book, The Artsy Smartsy Club, Henrietta, Loretta Fischetti, Bruno Ugg and Henrietta’s owner, Nick, discover art on the sidewalks of New York. When they finally find the sidewalk artist, Lucy Casserole, they are led to the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art with Henrietta, disguised as a nun, becoming the responsible adult. Their efforts lead to a new Hoboken festival dedicated to sidewalk art. For all you art lovers out there and those who are not, this book will have you laughing out loud. For ages 8 and up.

Liz Hall is killed in a car accident and when she awakes, finds herself in a place not unlike her earthly home. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is the story of a place where people go after death to carry on their existence. The main difference from Earth is that people age backwards, finally returning to earth as infants. Liz is not happy in Elsewhere. She wants to attend her prom, learn to drive and go to college. She spends much of her time peering through a telescope at her family and friends on Earth. But Liz eventually finds that Elsewhere is where she wants to be for the remaining fifteen years of her life. Life, she learns, no matter where, even in death, is best experienced in the present. Elsewhereturns many questions about existence on their heads and gets one thinking about what's really important.