Here's your Radar Recommendations links for Wednesday:

A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: The President's Daughter series by Ellen Emerson White: "It's not that the books are funny; it's Meg who is funny. And not in a "I'm a comedian" way; it's very much in the manner of Melinda from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson."

Big A, little a: The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore: "Middle Grade readers will be drawn into the world of the Mer with Sapphy and consider the bond between the land and the seas. Just watch them closely when you go to the beach!"

Jen Robinson's Book Page: The Zilpha Keatley Snyder Green Sky trilogy: "I was surprised, actually, on re-reading this series for the first time in many years, by how substantive it is. I had remembered it more as a nice fantasy, where people glide around among the trees. And while that aspect is certainly part of the joy of the series, larger issues such as civil rights are also central to the story."

Bildungsroman: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 1: "Beckett's journey is like something out of a dream, and Mendelsohn's writing is evocative and lyrical. I could talk about one or both of these things for days, and I will most likely share additional, individual thoughts on this title later."

Chasing Ray: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 2

lectitans: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion Part 3: "I think the way Persephone might figure in is that the notion is once innocence is lost, it can't be regained. Persephone eats those pomegranate seeds and is forever changed. Even though she does negotiate a return to the world above ground, she doesn't get to stay there, and she has seen what it's like in the world below. So perhaps that's how it fits in: Beckett, unlike so many around her, is aware of scarier underpinnings to the world, and can't forget them."

Finding Wonderland: The House on Hound Hill by Maggie Prince: "One of my favorite parts of traveling to truly old cities like London is the feeling of history being so tangible. And that's what Emily finds out in Prince's book—only for Emily, history really is not only tangible but dangerous."

Miss Erin: The Reb & Redcoats and Enemy Brothers, both by Constance Savery: "This book is unique because it is about the American Revolution from the point of view of a British family living in England. In fact, I think it's the only novel with that view that I've read."

Bookshelves of Doom: Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher: "So. Super. Fab. While I caught some of the parallels to The Wizard of Oz, the Author's Note pointed out a whole lot more that I'd missed. Actually, while I'm on that subject: The paperback cover art is really, really attractive -- I do think that kids will be more likely to pick it up now -- but it's too bad that they went with the red sneakers. Harry Sue shows a decent amount of contempt for the differences between the book and the movie version, so really, her sneaks should be silver."

Interactive Reader: Shake Down the Stars by Frances Donnelly: "Ok. It's probably a little melodramatic. But in a good way, I promise. What separates it from your average melodrama is that while each girl definitely starts out as a stereotype, by the end of the novel all three have grown and truly transformed into strong women. You watch them love and lose, triumph and suffer through 6 long years of war."

Chicken Spaghetti: Pooja Makhijani guest blogs with Romina's Rangoli by Malathi Michelle Iyengar: "When Miss McMahan asks her class to "create something [for the school's open house] that represents your ancestors, your family, and where you come from... something that represents your heritage," half-Indian American and half-Mexican American Romina feels conflicted. Since both her parents would be coming to the open house; she couldn't envision a project that left one of them out."

Writing & Ruminating: Dear Mr. Rosenwald by Carole Weatherford: "In many stores, it was shelved with the poetry books, and that small segment doesn’t get heavily shopped. In others, it was stuffed into a large wall of picture books. It wasn’t featured during African American History Month. And though it contains truth in large measure, it is historical fiction, and is therefore not kept with the books on African American history, Jim Crow, reconstruction, segregation in education or anywhere else where people interested in those subjects might find it."

Shaken & Stirred: Elizabeth Knox and the Dreamhunter Duet: "That rich oddness Knox does so well is present--where else are you going to find sexual tension with a sand golem?--but the novel is very grounded as well. The fantasy world of the Place is as real--as dirty and full of politics and secrets--as the "real" world. I don't want to spoil the ending so I won't go into detail, but Knox bravely draws her story to a grand finish in a way so surprising I can't immediately think of another fantasy where something similar happens."