Okay - here we go with Houghtin Mifflin Children's first:

Circus Carnivore by Mark Svendsen, Illustrated by Ben Redlich. This has a very "Nightmare Before Christmas" look to it - and I mean that in a good way. It's nonsensical to a certain degree and described as "a jabberwocky journey from noise-some to joy-some in this phantasmagoric circus of a book." Kate sounds like a little bit of a monster and should be a blast to read out loud. (And gorgeous to look at!!)

The Every Boy - by Dana Adam Shapiro - This title is already out in hardcover - it's about father's attempt to get to know his 15 year old son - after he died. Nothing supernatural here, it's all about what the father missed and what he tries to find now. Shapiro is the director of Murderball so we know he has a unique way of looking at the world. Can't wait to see what he has done with this.

Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson, Illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli - Ceccoli's illustrations pushed me over the edge on this one - I could not resist. It's for 9-12 yr olds, a story about a stretch of the Mississippi River that is haunted and results in Claire and her cousin Duke having run-ins with all manner of the strange and unusual - oh and Duke sprouts a horn after swimming! If ever a river deserved to be haunted it's the Mississippi. I hope this book lives up to its promise.

Mastondon Mystery by Taylor Morrison. I was never that into dinosaurs and beasts but my son is so into them that I've realized as a reviewer I need to take a look at these titles. This story follows the discovery of bones in 1799 that no one can identify and how Charles Wilson Peale of the new Museum of Natural History sets out identify them and prove that animals could become extinct. How come I've never heard of Peale?

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by Sy Montgomery. When I first saw this science book I thought the little animal was too cute and was quite intrigued by the story of his life in Papua New Guinea - and the author's name struck a bell. It took about three minutes to realize she is married to Howard Mansfield, who wrote the amazing Bones of the Earth that I blogged about the other day. He mentioned briefly in one of his essays that his wife travels all over the world writing about animals but this was too coincidental to ignore. And it looks like a great science book to boot!

Snowfall by KM Petyon. The description is a bit elusive: "an engaging cast of characters who choose not to be bounds by the conventions of their time. As the small group of friends becomes intricately bound to and dependent on each other, they confront British class dvisions, dangerous adventures and the challenge of their hidden lives and secret loves." It's from Graphia, one of my favorite mini-imprints and sounds really good. I'm taking a chance and going after it.

From Chronicle:

The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis. Book 1 of a trilogy this follows foster siblings Ben and Jennet who find the small seaside town of Whitby not to be all that it seems. There's strange howling at night, Ben sees things (and people) others cannot and there's "something unusual about their new guardian". Sounds like a good mystery with creepy overtones - what 8-12 yr old won't love this?

A is for Astronaut - Okay, they got me on "V is for vomit comet"! Packed with retro illustrations I couldn't take my eyes off of it. This just looks fabulous.

I also saw that there is a sequel coming out for Ivy and Bean - one of the more charming young girl buddy books that I've seen in ages. I have a review of the first book in the summer issue of Eclectica but really, if you know any 6-10 yr old girl who reminds you of Anastasia Krupnik or the Betsy and Tacy stories then you need to get her Ivy and Bean. It's just wonderful and I'm so glad to see a sequel.

And from Roaring Brook:

Rex by Ursula Dubosarsky and Illustrated by David Mackintosh. The story of Rex, a chamelon and class pet, and his adventures everyday when one of the students takes him home - and imagines what might happen. It looks funny and quite creative (the part where he gets dressed up as Malibu Barbie is brilliant), can't wait to see it.

American Born Chinese by Gene Yang. This is a graphic novel about Jim Wang, who discovers he's the only Chinese American at his new school, the Monkey King one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables and Chin-Kee, the personification of all negative Chinese stereotypes. I don't see much YA lit addressing the thoughts of Asian Ameircan kids period, so I'm glad to see this.

Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss - "I have cancer. I dare them to flunk me." Okay, she had me with that. Koss correctly assumes that there is very little lit out there for kids who get cancer and live - it's not always about the brave dying. Fifteen year old Izzy sounds smart and sassy and pissed off and as someone who knows what it's like to have to kick this disease's ass (and live forever with the threat of a return engagement) I am thrilled to see this title. (Love, love, love the cover!)

Roaring Brook doesn't have a good site yet, so I tried to link to someplace decent to give you a look at their books. They will all be available by the end of the year though from Powells, amazon or wherever.