CHILDREN
Scribble
By Deborah Freedman. Knopf Books for Young Readers, $15.99, ages 3
to 6
In this charming debut, Freedman captures the tit-for-tat spats that erupt between young sisters. Emma, the know-it-all big sister, flaunts her drawing of a princess caught under an evil spell in front of younger sister Lucie. Then she dismisses Lucie's picture of a kitty as just a scribble, insisting it can't be a kitty until it has triangle ears. So Lucie does what any frustrated little sister would: grabs a black marker and writes all over big sister's drawing.
As Emma stomps off to tell on her, Lucie angrily gives in and draws on the triangle ears. Now able to hear, the kitty becomes curious about the princess and leaps off Lucie's paper onto Emma's - and tries to save the princess. Aghast that her drawing would help Emma's drawing, Lucie now must decide whether to help her kitty untangle the princess or let his heart be crushed.
Final word: Freedman will certainly jump to many readers' favorite author-illustrator lists after this imaginative book.
- Jennifer Miller
SCIENCE FICTION
KOP
By Warren Hammond. Tor, $24.95
In Denver author Hammond's debut novel, science fiction is really just a backdrop for a gritty, noir detective tale. The hero is Juno Mozambe, an aging sleazy vice cop on the planet Legarto. The economy on Legarto has totally fallen apart, and most of the capital city of Koba has degenerated to slum. Think the back alleys in Blade Runner with creeping jungle, rampant lizards and rot.
Juno is ordered to take on a young female partner and investigate a particularly grisly murder. Although the Koba Order of Police is corrupt, an even more sinister force may be attempting to wrest power and take over the planet. Juno's idealistic partner wants to clean up Legarto, but for that to happen, she'll have to bend to Juno's strong-armed methods. And the question of what is the lesser of two evils will determine the planet's fate.
Final word: KOP is an ambitious and well-written debut novel. While it may disappoint some science-fiction fans because of the lack of genre tropes, it should satisfy anyone looking for a good hard-boiled detective story.
- Mark Graham
REGIONAL
Best Short Stories of the American West: Vol.
I
Edited by Marc Jaffee. Tom Doherty, $25.95
What identifies a Western writer? Jaffee's definition is simply "one who lives and writes in the 11 Western states," as do the 25 writers included here. Thus, stories vary from Richard Wheeler's Hearts, set in Wyatt Earp's Tombstone days of the late 19th century, to Valerie Miner's contemporary Vital Signs, about an annual reunion of a diverse group of new "young middle-aged" friends near Mendocino, Calif.
Stalwarts such as Elmer Kelton and John Rember write of the nature of ranch work and the long legacy of family ranches. Meanwhile, the ever-present conflict between man and nature, sometimes with tragic outcomes, is featured in Snow Cave.
Final word: Whether the West is a Denver suburb, the legacy of old mining towns or vast ranches that families struggle to hold, these finely crafted stories reveal the region's unique strength and power.
- Joan Hinkemeyer
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